‘He will not give up’ – 29-year-old fearful of summer Chelsea return after ‘anxious’ loan spell

A decision is looming over the future of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is currently on loan at Real Madrid.

Despite heavy Bayern Munich interest, Kepa opted to make the switch back to Spain for the 2023/24 season following the injury to Thibaut Courtois at the Bernabeu.

Back in August, Kepa told Marca: “It’s true that Pochettino wanted me to stay and he told me that I was going to play, that he trusted me, but I thought that a change would be good for me, I wanted a change. Thomas Tuchel called me. We were close to going to Munich.

“I felt it was time for a change of scenery. I wanted to stay, but I felt that the project was not the right one… When Madrid calls you, everything changes. My signing was closed in just a few hours and a couple of calls.”

Kepa has made 17 appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in all competitions this season, sharing the goalkeeping responsibilities with Andriy Lunin in Courtois’ absence.

The on loan Chelsea goalkeeper has been far from convincing during his temporary stint in Spain, including several errors during their 5-3 win over Athletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

As reported by Andy Dillon of The Sun, ‘Kepa is now growing anxious that he will not be granted a permanent move back to Spain when his loan expires at the end of the season’.

Kepa’s current deal at Chelsea expires at the end of the 2024/25 season. Should he return, he will face competition from Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez.

A source told The Sun: “(Kepa) has been very unlucky. He got injured while playing his best. He loves Madrid and really wants to stay. He will not give up.”

Kepa has already made his desires of staying in Spain permanently publicly clear. However, it appears a return to Chelsea in the summer is likely before his future is resolved.