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| Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea in a training drill during the Chelsea Training Session at Chelsea Training Ground on October 01, 2021 in Cobham, England. |
Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has admitted he would be keen on making a move to bring Kepa Arrizabalaga to Lazio.
The Italian initially brought Kepa to Stamford Bridge in summer 2018 for around £71million, which was a club-record fee at the time.
In his only season under Sarri, the Spain goalkeeper made 54 appearances across all competitions as he helped the Blues to win the Europa League.
Now Sarri apparently wants to reunite with the 26-year-old in Rome, despite their public falling out during the infamous Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in 2019, as veteran shot-stopper Pepe Reina is set to depart when his contract expires at the end of the season.
According to Corierre dello Sport, Lazio are planning a potential move next year for Kepa after a deal to send him out on loan fell through.
The Serie A side attempted to sign him on a temporary switch last summer, but complications meant that he had to stay in west London for the coming season.
There could be another slight issue, though, as the Italian publication reported that Chelsea would have to pay at least half of his salary should he join.
Although there's no confirmation of how much that would be, it might prove to be a stumbling block in the deal despite the Spanish goalkeeper being firmly on Lazio's watch list.
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| Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea in a training drill during the Chelsea Training Session at Chelsea Training Ground on October 01, 2021 in Cobham, England. |
For now, the former Athletic Bilbao keeper will have to continue focusing on his duties at Chelsea as they look to battle for all four major trophies.
He has made just three appearances in Thomas Tuchel's side so far this term, often playing back-up to Edouard Mendy as the Blues No.1.
That's been a common occurrence since the 28-year-old signed from Rennes last summer, with Arrizabalaga appearing just eight times in the Premier League in 13 months.
But he is expected to be involved more should Mendy get called-up for the Senegal squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
Mendy could miss up to four league matches and at least one FA Cup game if his country go all the way to the final.
This would pave the way for Arrizabalaga to stake a claim as a regular starter, although it's anticipated that there will be some interest for him when the transfer window opens in January.
