Sanchez upgrade: Chelsea want £58m star who’d be their best since Courtois
Since Thibaut Courtois left Chelsea in 2018, joining Real Madrid for around £35m, the Blues have struggled to find a permanent number one between the sticks to replace him. Courtois made 154 appearances for Chelsea, conceding just 152 goals and keeping 58 clean sheets.
Chelsea signed Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018, in an attempt to replace Courtois, for a whopping £71.6m, making him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time. Kepa made 163 appearances for the Blues, conceding 175 times and keeping 59 clean sheets.
The closest Chelsea have come to effectively replacing Courtois, is Edouard Mendy, who signed for the Blues from Rennes for around £22m in 2020. The Senegal international kept 49 clean sheets in just 105 games for the club, playing a massive hand in their Champions League triumph in 2021.
However, in the modern game, goalkeepers are required to do so much more than just stop shots. Their ability on the ball, to join in during the build-up, play out from the back, and even pick direct passes to the forwards is extremely important, which could see Chelsea dip into the transfer market yet again.
According to reports from CaughtOffside, Chelsea remain interested in Porto goalkeeper, Diogo Costa. However, the Blues could face competition for the 25-year-old shot-stopper, as Bayern Munich also appear to be interested in Costa, to replace Manuel Neuer who is considering his retirement at the end of this season.
Costa has made 167 appearances for Porto, conceding just 142 goals, whilst keeping 71 clean sheets and totaling 15,111 minutes played. He is also the Portugal number one, already having 31 caps for his country.
The in-demand talent would cost around £58m according to the reports, but he could prove to be the long-term answer Chelsea have been looking for since losing Courtois in 2018, providing a mixture of elite shot-stopping, and comfortable on-ball traits.
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