Jan Oblak will not be leaving Atletico Madrid this summer and will honour his contract with the Spanish club, according to the club’s president Enrique Cerezo.
The Slovenian shot-stopper is a reported target for Chelsea, as Frank Lampard searches for a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Jan Oblak Staying at Atletico Madrid, Says Club President
Cerezo Defiant on ‘World’s Best’ Oblak
Jan Oblak has developed a deserved reputation as one of the world’s finest goalkeepers and has served Atletico Madrid superbly well in the years since his arrival in 2014.
The 27-year-old’s clean-sheet record with the club is formidable: in December 2019, he brought up 96 clean sheets in only 169 league games to set a new club record.
Oblak also recently made his 250th appearance for the club, and his consistent form has won him plenty of admirers around Europe.
Enrique Cerezo, however, is firm in his insistence that Oblak will not be going anywhere any time soon.
Atletico’s president spoke to Spanish newspaper Marca to respond to speculation linking the player with a move away from the Spanish capital: “I always say that Oblak has a contract with Atletico and is the best goalkeeper in the world. It is not strange that he has offers from other great teams.
“I say the same as always. Oblak has a contract, he is an Atletico player, period. We have many players, our squad is the club’s main asset. Oblak is a magnificent player and in his position, unquestionably, there is no one to beat him right now.”
Chelsea’s Goalkeeper Search Continues
Oblak’s Atletico contract carries a reported release clause of £107 million. With Cerezo unwilling to entertain any offers that fall short of this figure, Chelsea may need to look elsewhere in their hunt for a new goalkeeper.
The Stamford Bridge club have already spent heavily in preparation for next season. Frank Lampard’s team have spent over £85 million on the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. They are also in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over the transfer of Kai Havertz, in a move which could see Roman Abramovich fork out up to £90 million to sign the German international.
If their pursuit of Oblak fails, Chelsea could turn their attention towards signing Ajax’s Andre Onana, who is keen on a move to the Premier League and would certainly not cost upwards of £100 million.
Kepa Has No Chelsea Future
It is clear that Lampard has lost faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga, and will hope to move the Spaniard on in the summer.
Following his world-record move to Stamford Bridge, Kepa has failed to justify his position as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper and was recently dropped for the club’s final Premier League game of the season.
Thirty-eight-year-old backup Willy Caballero played in that 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and is expected to keep his place in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Arsenal.
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