Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid on loan for the 2023-24 campaign.
Los Blancos were not initially planning to sign a new goalkeeper this summer, as Thibaut Courtois remains Carlo Ancelotti's undisputed number one.
However, Real's plans in that department were thrown into disarray earlier this week, as Courtois suffered a devastating anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture in a training session.
The Belgian's injury could potentially see him miss the entirety of the season, and his deputy Andriy Lunin stepped up to keep a clean sheet in Saturday's opening La Liga win over Athletic Bilbao.
Twenty-one-year-old Lucas Canizares was promoted to the bench from the Castilla team, but Real inevitably entered the market for a new shot-stopper after learning of Courtois's diagnosis.
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Former Manchester United goalkeeper and current free agent David de Gea was reportedly earmarked as a target, despite his previous affiliation with Real's local rivals Atletico Madrid.
Instead, Los Blancos prioritised a move for Kepa, and according to Fabrizio Romano, the Spaniard has now given a loan move to the Bernabeu his seal of approval.
Kepa's switch to the Spanish capital will be a straight loan with no option or obligation to buy, and the 28-year-old "immediately" agreed to join Ancelotti's side once talks began.
Kepa - who had also been in discussions with Bayern Munich - is believed to have already said his goodbyes to Chelsea, where he is due to return for the 2024-25 campaign.
The former Athletic man still holds the honour of being the world's most expensive goalkeeper, having cost the Blues €80m (£69.1m) in the summer of 2018, but he has largely flattered to deceive at Stamford Bridge.
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Kepa has 59 clean sheets to show from 163 matches for Chelsea, but he briefly lost his place in the team to Edouard Mendy before demoting the Senegal international down to the bench last term.
Mendy subsequently departed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, seeing Kepa enter Mauricio Pochettino's first pre-season as number one, with Gabriel Slonina and Marcus Bettinelli acting as his backups.
However, Chelsea have now welcome ex-Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Robert Sanchez into their ranks for the 2023-24 season, thus giving Kepa licence to search for a new home.
The Spain international could potentially make his Real debut in next Saturday's trip to Almeria, while Sanchez is in line for his Chelsea inauguration when the Blues host Liverpool in Sunday's Premier League affair.
Ben Knapton
