Chelsea are reportedly running the rule over Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel as they look to potentially move on from Robert Sanchez in the New Year.
The jury is still out on current Blues number one Sanchez, who has kept new signing Filip Jorgensen at bay for the most part this season but has also come under fire for some costly errors.
The 27-year-old's footwork and ability to play out from the back in particular has come in for scathing criticism, and he has only managed three clean sheets in the 2024-25 Premier League season so far.
Sanchez has only recorded one shut-out in his last 10 top-flight appearances, but nevertheless, he is still part of a Chelsea side who are unexpectedly mounting a charge for the Premier League title in second place in the table.
Like the vast majority of Chelsea signings in the Todd Boehly era, Sanchez was handed a contract longer than the customary five years when he arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023, and his current terms do not expire until 2030.
Chelsea 'voice interest' in Kobel
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According to Sky Deutschland, Blues chiefs have not been impressed with either Sanchez or Jorgensen's performances in the 2024-25 season; the latter was only signed from Villarreal this summer but has played almost exclusively in the Conference League and EFL Cup.
As a result, the Chelsea hierarchy are already scouring the market for a new number one and have reportedly 'voiced an interest' in Kobel, who has risen to prominence in Germany over the past few seasons.
Dortmund's starting goalkeeper during their run to the 2023-24 Champions League final, Kobel kept six clean sheets in 12 European matches last season, form that led him to be included in the UCL Team of the Season.
The 27-year-old - who stands at 6ft 5in tall - has also made the Team of the Year for the last two Bundesliga campaigns and has kept six clean sheets in 18 matches for Nuri Sahin's side in the current term.
Dortmund only paid £12.5m to bring Kobel to the club from Stuttgart in 2021, but they would demand a significantly higher fee to let him go in 2025, especially as he recently signed a contract extension until the summer of 2028.
Which other goalkeepers do Chelsea have available?
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Sanchez and Jorgensen may be number one and two respectively at Chelsea, but there are numerous pairs of gloves in the Stamford Bridge ranks, including a handful of shot-stoppers out on loan.
At the minute, Enzo Maresca is also working with Marcus Bettinelli and Lucas Bergstrom as his other backups, but the former is seemingly only in the ranks for his experience and to help Chelsea hit their home-grown quota.
Bergstrom is out of contract in the summer of next year, though, and the same is true of Kepa Arrizabalaga, who should be on the way out permanently when his loan spell at Bournemouth comes to an end.
Gabriel Slonina (Barnsley), Djordje Petrovic (Strasbourg) and Eddie Beach (Crawley Town) are also plying their trade on loan elsewhere for the minute, but whether they have futures at Stamford Bridge is unclear.
Ben Knapton
