Kepa Arrizabalaga set for £71m world-record Chelsea move- reports

Kepa, 23, emerged as a surprise target for the Blues when Thibaut Courtois went on strike to force through a move to European champions Real Madrid.

The Blues had been linked to Alisson earlier in the window but he signed for Liverpool in a deal that stands at the current world record, £66.9 million.

Chelsea are set to break that by activating Kepa's release clause of £71 million, with reports on Tuesday evening suggesting they had agreed to pay that figure.

A video showed Kepa arriving in Madrid and reportedly preparing to fly to London to complete the move.

The Athletic Bilbao keeper made 30 La Liga appearances last season and made his debut for Spain in 2017, going to the World Cup as their third keeper.

This is what happens when you don't have a director of football and you don't have a manager until pre-season has already begun. Chelsea have been an utter shambles for the past couple of years and this move sums it up.

To re-cap, Chelsea knew Thibaut Courtois wanted to jump ship (the whole world knew) and they thought they could either keep him or demand more from Real. They turned down the chance to sign Alisson because he was too expensive and then when Courtois went on strike they signed a less proven keeper for more money.

Whilst this was happening Antonio Conte was still the manager, until he wasn't a few days into pre-season when Maurizio Sarri was finally appointed, another open secret.

Oh and Michael Emenalo still hasn't been replaced as director of football. Marina Granovskaia is exceptional at what she does but if she really has taken on this role on top of her other duties it shows how much of a mess Chelsea are in.

And of course their owner still hasn't got a valid work visa. Nothing to see here...