Ittihad Jeddah are still pursuing Spanish keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after Chelsea turned down their initial offer.
Ittihad Jeddah are on the look for a new goalkeeper following the departure of Marcelo Grohe and losing their target Bento to rivals Al-Nassr.
According to Rudi Galleti, Kepa Arrizabalaga could be the Tigers’ solution for their goalkeeping dilemma, having already opened negotiations with both the player and his club Chelsea.
It has been revealed that Ittihad are willing to offer Kepa a long-term contract with a salary set at €7m per year; however, it’s believed that they are not his only potential suitors.
The Spanish goalkeeper only has a year left on his contract, with Chelsea keen to move him on in the window after loaning him out to Real Madrid last season.
Chelsea made Arrizabalaga the most expensive goalkeeper in the world back in 2018 when they paid £71.6m to sign him from Athletic Bilbao; however, his transfer did not work out as expected and the player struggled to keep up his form.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Kepa has gone on to make 175 appearances for the Blues and recorded 59 clean sheets, winning one Champions League and one Europa League in the process.
He also managed to win La Liga and another Champions League with Real Madrid last season after making 20 appearances for Los Blancos.
Following a disastrous title-defending campaign, Ittihad Jeddah are trying to rebuild its squad for their new manager Laurent Blanc to compete again for the Saudi Pro League after finishing fifth last season.
The club has already completed the signing of AS Roma midfielder Houssem Aouar are now pushing for Aston Villa star Moussa Diaby.
