Bournemouth would like to sign Chelsea loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga on a permanent transfer this summer following a successful loan spell this season but the Cherries do not have a buy-option included within the agreement
Kepa Arrizabalaga feels at home at Bournemouth – but he’s still not willing to provide any assurances his loan will become a permanent transfer this summer. The Spanish goalkeeper has revealed talks over his future are set to take place “in the next few weeks” with parent club Chelsea. He admits staying at the Vitality Stadium is not necessarily a formality, explaining: “Obviously what I can say is that I’m really happy and I’m enjoying my playing time here. I think I’m showing that and I’m feeling well on the pitch. It’s not the time to think about the future, we’re going to take the decision, we’re in touch with everybody and now I’m under contract with Chelsea. We have some conversations to have, they will happen in the next few weeks and then we’ll decide.”
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Bournemouth are understood to be keen on keeping Kepa and they would be prepared to pay a credible fee to secure his signature following an impressive stint on the South Coast this season. However, the two-time Champions League winner, now 30, is unlikely to be short of interest given Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad also saw a bid rejected last summer. Kepa also vented his frustration after the ambitious Cherries, who do not have an option to buy the Spain international, dropped two precious points at West Ham. They were ahead through Evanilson but were pegged back by the hosts following goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen before the Brazilian bagged his second, equalising 11 minutes from time. The result means Andoni Iraola’s side have now won just one of their last eight Premier League matches and their European dream is now hanging by a thread. Kepa continued: “We are not very happy as we came here for all three points. In the end, we got a point and we have to make it a good point next week at home but right now, these points we’ve dropped in the last eight or nine games are going to cost us a lot.
“The last game [Ipswich] they killed us with counter-attacks and today we gave them the chances, two headers, we have to improve our defending. We have to mark better and stop these opportunities, we’ve got to keep working as we’ve now got nine days to prepare for our next game.” Kepa, whose contract at Chelsea runs until the summer of 2026, insists all hope is not lost just yet as he feels there is still time to put things right. He concluded: “It’s been a great season until now. Now it’s the most important period of the season. “You cannot find any team that is always winning games without any bad moments, not even Liverpool. We have to be strong, we’re finding it really difficult to get points right now. But if we don’t start taking three points, it’s going to be difficult to get ourselves into Europe.”
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