Report: Chelsea Eyeing Jan Oblak, Kepa Arrizabalaga to Replace Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea are reportedly looking to Spain in search of a replacement for Thibaut Courtois and could be set to meet the buyout clause of either Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak or Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arrizabalaga. 

According to Mundo Deportivo's Enrique Ortego (h/t Metro's Coral Barry), Chelsea are imminently set to meet Oblak's £89 million clause after Courtois told manager Maurizio Sarri of his desire to leave for Real Madrid on Monday.

Meanwhile, AS' Sergio Santos Chozas reported the Blues are "resigned to losing" the Belgian and have decided to meet Kepa's €80 million (£71.5 million) clause. 

Kepa is contracted to Athletic until 2025 after signing a long-term deal in January, but it's said the Blues can offer him a pay increase to lure him to Stamford Bridge. The 'keeper earns in the region of €4 million (£3.6 million) after tax each year.

Both reports indicate Chelsea will not allow Courtois to move on this summer unless they can bring in a new No. 1 by Thursday's deadline. The Blues can still negotiate the Belgian's sale until the end of August, though.

Courtois seems to want to accelerate the process, as he did not report for training on Monday or Tuesday, according to the Telegraph's Matt Law:

Per Belgian football journalist Kristof Terreur, Real Madrid have made an offer for him:

Oblak, 25, has established himself as one of the world's best goalkeepers since Courtois' loan spell at Atletico came to an end in 2014, which paved the way for him to become first choice with Los Rojiblancos.

As for Kepa, the 23-year-old is an up-and-coming prospect who almost signed for Real Madrid himself in January prior to signing his new deal with Athletic.

He is not yet the elite stopper that Oblak is, but he'd also be slightly more affordable and potentially easier to prise away from his club in the short amount of time Chelsea have to work with.

What's more, while the Spaniard's most valuable asset is his potential, it's worth noting he is already a first-choice goalkeeper in La Liga and as such is already operating at a strong level, showcasing excellent reactions and an impressive command of his area given his youth.

The world-record fee that it would take to meet his clause is an enormous amount to pay for him, but Chelsea find themselves in a difficult position and may not have the luxury of being a discerning buyer when it comes to price.

Oblak would be more worthy of his fee given he is an upgrade on Courtois and can probably count on one hand the number of goalkeepers better than him in world football, but without UEFA Champions League football it may be difficult to persuade him to make the move.