Chelsea held talks to sign Borussia Dortmund star Gregor Kobel
Chelsea have held talks with the agent of Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel regarding a summer switch to Stamford Bridge. The 25-year-old has been identified as a possible backup for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Sport1 reports (h/t Metro), that the Blues are interested in signing Kobel next summer but are likely to engage in a bidding war with Manchester United for the Switzerland international.
After joining Dortmund in 2021 in a €15 million (£12.8 million) deal from Stuttgart, the 25-year-old has built up a name for himself in Germany. Chelsea will likely be seeking a new goalie at the end of the season given that Edouard Mendy’s position at Stamford Bridge is increasingly doubtful.
Chelsea reportedly wants to offload the 31-year-old at the end of the current campaign after he turned down their offer of a new deal earlier this year.
And according to the source, Chelsea spoke with Kobel’s agent in London prior to Dortmund’s 2-0 Champions League defeat against the Blues at Stamford Bridge last week. However, it is reported that the player wants to remain at Dortmund for at least another year because he only plans on staying in Germany.
Chelsea are not totally convinced by Kepa Arrizabalaga, as they continue to look for his replacement. David Raya, a Brentford show-stopper who has just one year left on his contract, is also a target for the Blues.
Given that Mendy’s future at the club is up in the air and Kepa is the only remaining first-choice goalkeeper for the Blues, Chelsea definitely needs a goalkeeper.
And that Potter’s style is to build the game from behind then West Londoners will need a goalkeeper of that caliber, who can act quickly and have complete confidence with the ball, exceptional distribution, and quick reflexes.
Kobel has a great personality as a goalie, an imposing presence, and a body posture on top of that he is also quite at ease with the ball in his feet which is the reason Chelsea are interested.
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Considering that Kobel is young and has kept eight clean sheets in Dortmund’s last 18 Bundesliga games, he might make a suitable goalkeeper at Chelsea, if we manage to acquire him.