Chelsea reportedly eye a surprise move for Juventus goalkeeper and former Arsenal number one Wojciech Szczesny, who could be available for as little as £8.5m.
Chelsea have reportedly set their sights on bringing a former Arsenal number one back to the Premier League this summer.
The Blues’ goalkeeping situation remains a pressing matter heading into the 2024-25 campaign, as Robert Sanchez‘s arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion has not worked out as intended.
The Spaniard was signed with a view to being Mauricio Pochettino‘s first-choice stopper, but following a knee injury picked up in December, he lost his place in the team to Djordje Petrovic.
The Serbian has guarded the Premier League posts ever since and has put in some impressive displays, but he is not thought to be under consideration for the number one spot for the 2024-25 campaign.
The same can be said of 19-year-old Gabriel Slonina, currently on loan at Eupen, while Kepa Arrizabalaga may be moved on this summer when he returns from his temporary stint at Real Madrid.
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According to TuttoJuve, Chelsea are considering a surprise move for Juventus and Poland shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny, who was on the Arsenal books for 11 years from 2006 to 2017.
While in North London, the 34-year-old won two FA Cups and was Arsene Wenger‘s first-choice in goal for a few seasons, even winning the Premier League’s Golden Glove in 2013-14 alongside Petr Cech.
Szczesny then appropriately lost his spot to Cech following his signing from Chelsea and spent two years on loan at Roma between 2015 and 2017, which preceded a permanent move to Italy with Juventus for an €18.4m (£15.8m).
The Poland international has excelled in Serie A with the Bianconeri, winning three top-flight titles and keeping 103 clean sheets in 249 matches, including 15 shut-outs from 32 Serie A games this season.
However, Szczesny’s contract in Turin expires at the end of next season, and Juventus would supposedly be open to letting him leave this summer if they receive an offer of around €10m (£8.6m).
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The Bianconeri would then reinvest that money into making a move for Monza’s Michele Di Gregorio, who could cost double that figure to prise away from his current club in the upcoming window.
Which other goalkeepers could Chelsea target?
From a former Arsenal keeper to the Gunners’ current number two, Chelsea have also been tipped to end Aaron Ramsdale‘s Emirates nightmare, as the Englishman has spent the majority of the season playing second fiddle to David Raya.
The Blues are rumoured to be keeping tabs on Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson too, while Brazil international goalkeeper Bento was briefly linked, but Chelsea’s interest in him has apparently cooled.
Should the Szczesny reports be believed, the West London club are seemingly pursuing an experienced option in between the sticks and could target either Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels or Paris Saint-Germain’s Keylor Navas, both of whom will become free agents in 2024.
However, Petrovic and his backline comfortably shut out Tottenham Hotspur in Thursday’s 2-0 Premier League win, moving them up to eighth in the table.