Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed a one-year contract extension and joined Bournemouth on loan for the 2024/25 season.
Kepa will spend another year away from the Blues after spending the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Real Madrid, helping them win a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double.
with Chelsea Acquiring several new goalkeepers in recent years, notably under BlueCo ownership, Kepa is no longer needed at the club and had spent the summer looking for an exit.
I had hopes of going back Madridbut due to the return to fitness of Thibaut Courtois and the emergence of Andriy Lunin – who usurped Kepa in the pecking order last season – Los Blancos did not make a new bid to re-sign the Spaniard.
Instead, Kepa heads towards Bournemouthwhere he is set to battle club captain Neto for the starting spot.
“We are delighted to bring a player of Kepa’s caliber to AFC Bournemouth,” said chief executive Neill Blake. “We were aware of his availability and were keen to take the opportunity to bring him to the club on loan.
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“We believe he will be an exciting addition to our talented goaltending department.”
However, with Kepa’s contract at Chelsea set to expire in the summer of 2025, he has signed a one-year extension at the club to retain the resale value.
Kepa had been entering the final year of the first Chelsea contract he signed after joining the Athletic Club in 2018. He signed a seven-year deal after the Blues activated his release clause of 72 million pounds and to this day remains the most expensive goalkeeper of all. time
During his time at Chelsea, Kepa has made 163 appearances for the club, while he has also been called up on 13 occasions by the Spanish national team.
