Chelsea have agreed a deal in principle to sign the Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for a fee worth up to £25m.
Sanchez was widely regarded as one of Europe’s most promising young goalkeepers before he lost his place in the Brighton side to Jason Steele last season.
Chelsea on the other hand, have been looking for a high-level goalkeeper to provide competition for Kepa and began the summer exploring a deal for Andre Onana, only to allow the Cameroon international to move to Manchester United instead.
A bid for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan was also ruled out due to the Italian side’s high asking price.
Sanchez’s Premier League experience, coupled with the fact he counts towards Chelsea’s homegrown quota thanks to his time in the Brighton academy, has helped endear him to the club’s recruitment department.
Provided the deal can be finalised as expected, the 25-year-old Spaniard will challenge Kepa Arrizabalaga for a starting position in Mauricio Pochettino’s team.
The move to Stamford Bridge will reunite Sanchez with Ben Roberts, his former goalkeeping coach at Brighton who left for Chelsea in September last year.
Robert Sanchez who is expected to settle in at Chelsea this season, will become the West London side’s fifth signing of the summer.
Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Angelo, and Diego Moreira have all joined thus far.
It spells another change in goalkeeping options at Chelsea following Edouard Mendy’s departure to Al Ahli.
Sanchez has been with the Seagulls since the age of 15, having joined their academy from Levante in 2013. After loan spells with Forest Green and Rochdale, he made his Brighton debut in November 2020 and became the Seagulls’ first-choice stopper for the best part of two years.
He was also called up by Spain in 2021 and was part of their squad at both the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and the 2022 World Cup, although his only two caps have both come in friendlies.
Sanchez has made 90 appearances in total for Brighton and had a contract with the club which runs till June 2025.
