"Who doesn’t want to stay at Real Madrid?" - 29-year-old star reveals his desire to stay with the La Liga club beyond his loan spell
Kepa Arrizabalaga has expressed his desire to stay at Real Madrid beyond the current season.
The Spanish goalkeeper was signed on a loan deal in the summer as an emergency option after Thibaut Courtois' ACL injury. The Belgian stopper is expected to miss the majority of the season and Arrizabalaga was identified as an ideal short-term replacement.
The 29-year-old has featured in nine games across competitions for his new club so far, keeping five clean sheets. His contract with Real Madrid doesn't include a provision to make the deal permanent.
The Chelsea loanee, however, has previously announced his desire to stay at Real Madrid for longer than just one season. In a recent interview with Juanfe Sanz of El Chiringuito TV (h/t MadridUniversal), he touched on the topic once again and said:
"Yes, I’m very happy here. Who doesn’t want to stay at Real Madrid?"
Arrizabalaga would hope regular playing time at Real Madrid ups his chances of being Spain's No. 1 at the 2024 UEFA Euros in Germany. Out of his 13 senior caps, only two have come in the last three years.
Chelsea, meanwhile, continue to trust £25 million summer signing Robert Sanchez between the posts. 24-year-old Djordje Petrovic is serving as the west London giants' backup.
A report from SPORT last month mentioned that Chelsea would have to pay €25 million to sign Arrizabalaga permanently. However, Los Blancos are apparently only ready to pay around €18 million for his services.
Carlo Ancelotti praises Real Madrid superstar after latest La Liga win
Jude Bellingham was on fire once again for Real Madrid as he scored a double in their 4-0 La Liga win over Osasuna on 7 October.
The 20-year-old has registered 10 goals and three assists in 10 games across competitions since his €103 million summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund. He has, to a huge extent, filled the void left by Karim Benzema's move to Al-Ittihad.
Carlo Ancelotti believes that Bellingham damages opponents because they don't expect this level of attacking play from him. Speaking after his team's win against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Italian tactician said, via Mundo Deportivo (h/t MadridUniversal):
"Bellingham is his usual self. He’s finding a lot of opportunities in attack and the fact that he doesn’t have a fixed position on the pitch, he does a lot of damage to opponents and nobody expected this level in terms of goals.
"It’s easier to study and analyse a player who has his position fixed and he doesn’t, so the truth is that it’s very difficult to defend him well."
Bellingham currently leads the race for the Pichichi trophy with eight goals from as many La Liga games.