Former Liverpool and Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes Newcastle United should pursue a move for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga providing the Blues do not set an asking price in the region of what they paid for him. Kepa is currently the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after Chelsea forked out an astounding £71 million to secure his services from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.
The 27-year-old has struggled to deal with the pressure that comes with that tag at Stamford Bridge and was replaced as the club’s number one goalkeeper by Edouard Mendy almost two months ago. He has instead had to settle for domestic cup appearances in the main since Mendy’s arrival, something which he may look to change this summer.
Kepa is reportedly among a four-man goalkeeper shortlist that Newcastle will look to target in the upcoming transfer window, that also includes Dean Henderson, Bernd Leno and Sam Johnstone. Speaking to Betting Odds, Johnson believes that Kepa would be a good addition for the Magpies if they are able to get Chelsea to sell for much less than they paid for him.
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He said: “It all boils down to the size of the deal. I think he’s a good player but he’s worth nowhere near what Chelsea paid for him and he’s worth nowhere near what he’s being paid every week. If somebody can get him for a sensible fee then of course he’s worth taking a punt on as he’s too good to be a number two but he’s not good enough to replace [Édouard] Mendy.
“You don’t realistically need a number two as good as Kepa. Mendy will play 90 percent of the games so you can help your finances by not having a number two like that there. If Chelsea were looking to recoup the majority of the money that they paid for him then I’d go nowhere near him if I was a prospective buyer.”
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