Kepa Arrizabalaga: Athletic Bilbao keeper pays £71m release clause before Chelsea move
Last updated on .From the section Chelsea
Chelsea target Kepa Arrizabalaga has paid his release clause of £71m to La Liga, which allows him to leave Athletic Bilbao and clears the way for a transfer to Stamford Bridge.
The deal would be a world record for a goalkeeper, surpassing the £66.8m Liverpool paid for Alisson in July.
Spaniard Kepa, 23, is being brought in as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgium international is set to join Real Madrid after Chelsea announced they had agreed a deal.
Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic, 24, will join Chelsea on a season-long loan as part of that deal.
Kepa buys his way out
In Spain, a player must buy himself out of his contract. This is usually done by depositing the amount of the buyout clause with La Liga - Spain's equivalent of the Premier League - to release the player from his contract. The league then passes the money to the selling club.
Kepa is Spain's number two behind Manchester United's David de Gea and has one international cap.
He has spent the past two seasons in Bilbao's first team, making 53 La Liga appearances.
In January, he signed a new long-term contract with Bilbao until 2025, amid interest from Real Madrid.
Kepa is the second big-name player to leave Bilbao this year, after Manchester City signed French defender Aymeric Laporte for £57m in January.
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I love it when grammar facists can't spell. It's Trolls, not "Troll's".
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*fascists.
Good times
We pay £66 million for Brazils number 1 who helped his team reach 3rd in the league and a CL semi final and get ridiculed for the money spent.
Chelsea spend £71 million on a guy who helped his team come 16th. How much is Courtois going to Madrid for?
2 minutes ago
'"player" pays his own release clause ..£71m... so far from its working class roots..'
Chelsea have to pay the release clause amount directly to the league, who give it to the player to buy himself out. Keep up.
United fan.
Roman: "Kepa, no problem"
The figure quoted is ridiculous though, the world has gone mad.
What with Liverpool and Arsenal moving forward and City in the mix should be an exciting season! Ever more so when the Jose Mourinho train derails at Man Utd come November! 😜
I genuinely can't stop laughing at this.
Then I woke up , fell out of bed , realised I was over 60 and dragged my sorry arse out the door into the real world........
Tues 7th £500
Wed 8th £71000500
Thurs 9th £500