Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed a one-year contract extension and joined Bournemouth on loan for the 2024/25 season.
Kepa will spend another year away from the Blues having spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Real Madrid, helping them win a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double.
With Chelsea acquiring several new goalkeepers in recent years, particularly under the ownership of BlueCo, Kepa is no longer needed at the club and had spent the summer looking for a way out.
He had hopes of returning to Madrid, but due to Thibaut Courtois’ return to fitness and the emergence of Andriy Lunin – who usurped Kepa in the pecking order last season – Los Blancos did not make a fresh offer to re-sign the Spaniard.
Instead, Kepa is heading to Bournemouth, where he is set to battle club captain Neto for the starting spot.
“We are delighted to bring a player of Kepa’s calibre to AFC Bournemouth,”chief executive Neill Blake said. “We were aware of his availability and were keen to take the opportunity to bring him to the club on loan.
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“We believe he will be an exciting addition to our talented goalkeeping department.”
However, as Kepa’s contract at Chelsea was due to expire in the summer of 2025, he has signed a one-year extension at the club to retain resale value.
Kepa had been entering the final year of the first Chelsea contract he signed after joining from Athletic Club in 2018. He signed a seven-year deal after the Blues triggered his £72m release clause, and to this day remains the most expensive goalkeeper of all time.
In his time at Chelsea, Kepa has made 163 appearances for the club, while he has also been capped 13 times by the Spanish national team.
