OFFICIAL?: Chelsea? Activates Kepa’s €80m Release Clause?

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga having activated the goalkeeper’s €80 million (£71m/$92m) release clause.

The player’s representatives and lawyers travelled to La Liga headquarters in Valencia to pay the fee, with Kepa now due to travel to London to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms.

Athletic confirmed that the release clause had been paid on Wednesday, issuing a statement that read: “The player Kepa Arrizabalaga has met the requirements for the valid unilateral termination of the contract that linked him to Athletic Club.”

The Kepa deal will break the club’s previous transfer record, set last season when the Blues signed Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid in an initial £58m ($75m) deal, potentially rising to £70m ($90m).

It will also make Kepa the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, less than a month after Alisson joined Liverpool in a £65m (€73m/$85m) move.