Real Madrid decides not to retain ownership of Kepa Arrizabalaga

Real Madrid has decided against retaining ownership of Kepa Arrizabalaga, and the Basque will have to return to Chelsea at the end of the 2023-24 season according to reports from Relevo. Since his arrival at the white club last summer, He had hoped to continue with Los Blancos once his one-year loan period ends.

However, the coaching staff has been impressed with the performance Andriy Lunin and has decided to give him continuity as a starter in the coming days. This trust in the Ukrainian coupled with Thibaut Courtois’s impending return from injury meant that the 14-time European champions have decided not to reinforce the position of goalkeeper.

Kepa Arrizabalaga with Florentino Perez during his presentation as a new Real Madrid player

Kepa’s troubles began with an adductor injury, which unfortunately came at a time when Lunin was showing growth in his performance. The club began to scrutinize their options, and with the 24-year-old good performances, Kepa lost confidence, made more mistakes than usual, and showed little security in his actions.

The Super Cup was meant to be a golden opportunity for the 29-year-old to fight for his position in the team. Ancelotti decided that the Spanish would play the first game against Atletico Madrid, and the Ukranian would play the second game against Barcelona. However, the Chelsea-bond goalkeeper’s performance in the first game didn’t impress, enabling Lunin to take the lead in the fight for the starting goalkeeper’s position.

Currently, the club is content with Lunin and Courtois as their goalkeepers, and there are no plans to acquire another keeper. The club is also committed to Fran Gonzalez as their third goalkeeper. Kepa hopes his remaining games will be a chance to shine and recover the category that made him one of the best goalkeepers in the world.