Chelsea to raid PL rivals for England international to replace world-record signing

According to a report from Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Express), Chelsea have Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at the top of the summer shopping list amidst rumours that Kepa Arrizabalaga could be on his way out.

Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea in the summer of 2018 for a world-record fee paid for a goalkeeper. However, the Spaniard hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations that came along with it.

The custodian has been erroneous and inconsistent over the course of his two-year spell, which has left manager Frank Lampard frustrated. In fact, the Blues boss axed Kepa from the starting XI for a stretch of games earlier this year.

While the Spaniard has returned to the line-up and remains the first-choice ahead of Willy Caballero, Lampard seemingly has his heart set on offloading him this summer. La Liga side Valencia have expressed an interest in signing Kepa on a two-year loan deal. (h/t Express)

And, Chelsea have identified Everton shot-stopper Jordan Pickford as the preferred choice of replacement for Kepa.

The 26-year-old Sunderland academy product joined Everton in 2017 and has been the undisputed first-choice at Goodison Park since, while also establishing himself as the No.1 for the England national team.

However, he has had a dip in form in the ongoing campaign, conceding 46 goals in 31 league games so far. Irrespective of that, he remains a proven commodity in the Premier League and could very well be a decent upgrade on Kepa.

More Chelsea News

• Twitter reacts as Marco van Ginkel extends Chelsea stay
• Valencia keen to take Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan
• Frank Lampard urges Chelsea to not lose sight of top-four fight

We have already made quite the wave in the transfer market, securing the signings of two of the most coveted stars in Europe – Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.

Solidifying the backline and bringing in another wide player should set us up for a title push come next season. But it will be interesting to see how Lampard decides to handle the Kepa situation.

If the Spaniard is shown the exit doors, Pickford wouldn’t be the worst choice to replace him. However, there are better options out there such as Dean Henderson and Andre Onana.