Kepa Arrizabalaga could leave Arsenal for the same amount the club signed him for last summer, with the goalkeeper reportedly having a release clause in his deal.
James McNicholas reports for The Athletic that when Arsenal signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea last summer, they included a release clause in his deal allowing him to leave if they can recoup the £5m they paid for him.
That doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Kepa will be moving on this summer, particularly as he’s enjoyed his first year in north London.
But McNicholas adds that if a compelling offer to be a first-choice goalkeeper arrives, Arsenal may need to enter the goalkeeper market again. If Kepa is convinced and the buying club is willing to pay £5m, the Gunners would have no choice but to let him go.
Kepa has definitely had a season of highs and lows with Arsenal in 2025/26.
Starting with the highs, the goalkeeper got to walk out onto the Selhurst Park through a guard of honour, starting against Crystal Palace before lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of the match.
After seven years at Chelsea, Kepa earned his first Premier League winner’s medal with Arsenal, which will be a big positive for him.
The goalkeeper also allowed David Raya to get some rest in the early rounds of the cup competitions, and he kept a few clean sheets against Port Vale, Wigan, Brighton, and Chelsea.
But the major negatives were obviously how those runs ended, with Arsenal losing to Southampton in the FA Cup and Kepa spilling the ball in the League Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
If Kepa’s release clause isn’t activated, the goalkeeper still has a couple more years on his Arsenal deal, and he’d presumably stick around to see them out.
But the clause adds a level of uncertainty to things, and the Gunners will have to prepare for the eventuality that they need a new backup shot-stopper.
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