Reports | Ligue 1 side OGC Nice eyeing loan move for Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga
According to FootMercato, Ligue 1 side OGC Nice are considering a loan move for Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer. The Spanish goalkeeper has played second fiddle to Edouard Mendy ever since the Senegalese arrived and is reportedly open to leaving the Blues this summer.
A lot was expected from Kepa Arrizabalaga when he first arrived in England as he signed for Chelsea for a world record fee for a goalkeeper. However, the Spaniard never lived up to his potential and instead struggled to make an impact despite consistently playing for the Blues. It eventually saw Kepa replaced by Edouard Mendy in his third season at the club and the Senegalese thrived.
Since then, the now 27-year-old Spanish international has played second fiddle to Mendy, making only a hand ful of appearances every season. That includes last season where Kepa finished the term with 15 appearances across all competitions. It hasn’t gone down well with the 27-year-old and reports have indicated that is open to leaving the club this summer. However, in light of that, FootMercato has reported that OGC Nice has taken a keen interest in Kepa and are looking at a move.
This comes in light of the fact that Nice have let Walter Benitez leave the club for PSV Eindhoven and thus have no other goalkeeper outside Marcin Bulka, who is on loan from PSG. The 22-year-old’s loan spell expires at the end of June and reports have indicated that Nice have no plans of making things permanent. Furthermore, FootMercato has further revealed that Kepa is open to the move as he wants regular game-time in order to make the cut for Luis Enrique’s Spain squad before the 2022 World Cup.