Indecisiveness prevented their hiring. The goalkeeper of Athletic Club de Bilbao, Kepa Arrizabalaga, renewed for seven years, until June 2025, putting an end to speculations about a possible signing by Real Madrid, the Basque club reported on Monday. The Spanish press pointed out that he was one of the fixed options for this European winter transfer market.
The young Spanish international goalkeeper, 23, will have a "rescission clause of 80 million euros," surpassing the current one, which according to the Spanish press was 20 million euros.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, a red-and-white player, ended his contract in June of this year, but his renewal has been delayed due to the goalkeeper's refusal to do so earlier, according to the Spanish press, because of the possibility that Real Madrid could go after him. On January 5, several Spanish media outlets stated that the Basque goalkeeper had successfully passed the recognition test with the white team and that only the rescission clause had to be paid.
Kepa still hasn't won club titles. (Photo: Getty Images)
The next day, in a press conference, coach Zinedine Zidane stated: "I don't need a goalkeeper. Then, in June, if there are changes, if we sit down and talk, it might be possible for us to sign someone." Many interpreted this statement as the definitive blow to a potential signing of Kepa in the winter transfer window.
Trained in the lower categories of Athletic, Kepa made his debut with the 'lions' in the 2016/2017 season, after spending several loan spells with different teams. The young goalkeeper, who made his debut with the Spanish national team last November in a friendly match against Costa Rica (5-0), is currently injured.
Source (AFP)