Chelsea goalkeeper rumours: Further Donnarumma links, plus Szczesny?

It is not a secret that Chelsea need to address the goalkeeper situation before next season, whenever that may start, as Kepa Arrizabalaga has not quite filled the giant-snake-sized hole left by the departure of Thibaut Courtois, while his current backup is the Premier League’s oldest player, Willy Caballero who may or may not be retiring.

Whether that means signing a new first-choice player to replace Kepa or bring in someone to compete and challenge for the starting position remains to be seen. As such, it's no surprise that Chelsea keep getting linked to every goalkeeper. Here are two of the latest.

First things first, the more realistic of these rumours: Gianluigi Donnarumma.

After the weekend’s link from Sportitalia, today it’s Corriere dello Sport (via CalcioMercato), who claim that Chelsea are looking to buy the 21-year-old, whose contract at AC Milan is up in 2021. Unlike the previous report, Corriere do not claim that Gigio wants to stay in Milan, and thus definitely don’t think that an extension can be worked out, especially on better terms than his already expensive contract. Of course, when big bad agent Mino Raiola’s pulling the strings, no one can be certain what is likely or unlikely.

That said, Donnarumma would make a lot of sense for Chelsea. He is certainly talented, still has immense potential to improve further, and could be available due to his contract situation. But since everything involving Mino Raiola becomes immediately complicated, this would be far from simple, and not just because Raiola's demands would be unbelievably high, both for his client and for himself (as witnessed during the Pogba saga).

Now, moving on to lesser realistic target: Wchsgsh Sczheuuy Wojciech Szczesny. (What?)

Sportsmediaset confirm their status as Italy’s least trustworthy media outlet when it comes to transfer rumors by claiming that Juventus are looking to sell ... (sigh) ... Wojciech Szczesny to Chelsea or PSG so they can buy Donnarumma from Milan. Yes, the same Szczesny who just signed a contract extension last month that runs all the way through 2024.

According to the report, Juventus did this so they could get the best possible price for Szczesny.

But even if the former Arsenal man, who’s gotten a lot better since leaving England, would be available, I don't see Chelsea buying him given his age not to mention the fees and wages that would be most likely required — especially when Donnarumma is available on the market, so is Onana, and many other excellent goalkeepers.

So there you have it, that's all from today's episode of Chelsea's Quest For A Keeper. You know what they say, "never let go of a keeper". Shame we didn't listen. Sorry, Petr.

P.S. There is also a claim made by Tuttosport that Chelsea could offer Kepa + €60m for Donnarumma BUT that’s too wild even for this report.