Thibaut Courtois' injury two days before Real Madrid officially kicked off the season has caused an earthquake at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Belgian goalkeeper will have to undergo surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Real Madrid are moving fast in order to bring in a guaranteed replacement in goal. According to Marca, Kepa Arrizabalaga is currently in the best position. The Chelsea goalkeeper was close to leaving on loan to Bayern Munich, but put the brakes on the deal when he received a call from Real Madrid on Thursday afternoon.

The number one candidate to replace the Belgium keeper was Bono, but the fact that he will be unavailable for a month because of the Africa Cup cooled the move. In this situation, Kepa's option gained ground, moreover, because the operation would be sealed on loan, without paying any transfer fee.

Kepa's departure from Chelsea is conditional on the signing of Robert Sanchez, who arrives at Stamford Bridge from Brighton. Trained in the youth ranks at Athletic Club, he made the jump to the Premier League in 2018 for €80m, becoming the most expensive transfer in football history for a goalkeeper.