Chelsea have turned down an offer from Saudi side Al-Ittihad for unwanted star Kepa Arrizabalaga according to The Athletic.
The 29-year-old , who spent last season on loan at Spanish giants Real Madrid is one of a number of players the Blues are looking to offload this summer.
The Spain international made 20 appearances for Los Blancos and won La Liga and the Champions League, but only has a year left on his contract, with Chelsea keen to move him on in the window.
Chelsea turn down Al-Ittihad Arrizabalaga offer
The Blues have already sold the likes of Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson, and The Athletic report they have turned down an initial approach from Saudi side Al-Ittihad for the Spaniard.
The report adds that talks are continuing with the Saudi side and other potential suitors with the goalkeeper almost certainly set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
A return to Real Madrid is not believed to be totally off the table if Andriy Lunin leaves, and the Ukrainian has yet to sign a contract extension in the Spanish capital with his deal expiring in 2025.
Chelsea made Arrizabalaga the most expensive goalkeeper in the world back in 2018 when they paid £71.6m to sign him from La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois, and he has gone on to make 163 appearances for the Blues.
The Daily Mail have reported that the goalkeeper has returned to pre-season training, but is training away from the first team as the club look to finalise a move for their former number one.
The Blues signed Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic last summer, and reports have suggested new boss Enzo Maresca is going to start the season with the former Brighton man as his first choice shot stopper.
Petrovic impressed last season when he came into the side after Sanchez got injured, and he kept his place even when the Spaniard returned to fitness.
It will be interesting to see how he stacks up against Sanchez in pre-season and many Chelsea supporters believe he should be the first choice, which is hard to argue with based on last season’s evidence.
Anyone who believes Petrovic should be our starting keeper “based on last season’s evidence” hasn’t actually examined the evidence, lol! He was near the very bottom of the league in terms of goals allowed versus expected goals allowed. Put simply, he wasn’t stopping shots average keepers are expected to stop! And let’s face it, his distribution isn’t world class even on his best day. I don’t want to see Robert Sanchez as our number one either, but let’s not delude ourselves into thinking Petrovic is somehow a cut above—he’s simply not. The best that can be said about him is that he was good value for the very low price we paid for him, but we are still in desperate need of a top drawer keeper.