Top European goalkeeper valued at €250m as a result of Kepa deal

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s release clause with the club is to be set at €250 million following Kepa’s move to Chelsea.

Jan Oblak has spent the last 4 years of his career in the Spanish Capital and has made over 110 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side.

He was brought in from Benfica to replace the outgoing Thibaut Courtois at the time and his record at the club since then suggests that Atletico actually managed to make an upgrade on the Belgian.

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In 2016 the Slovenian shot-stopper equaled the record number of clean sheets during a single La Liga season with only 18 goals conceded over 38 games, as Los Rojiblancos finished 3rd and just three points behind eventual champions Barcelona.

They also managed to reach their second Champions League final in 3 years against Real Madrid, losing out to their arch-rivals once again, via a penalty shootout. There was more than a touch of fortune about Los Blanco’s victory, however, as the only occasion they managed to get past Oblak in normal time was due to a Sergio Ramos goal which should have been ruled out for offside.

Fast forward two years and the 25-year-old’s reputation has only been enhanced further as his world-class performances have helped Atletico remain amongst the top sides in Spain and in Europe.

A Europa League victory for the club last season earned Oblak his first major trophy as Simeone’s number one and re-emphasised his status as one of the best goalkeepers in World football.

But just how much is he worth in today’s market?

Well, apparently a lot more than he might have been yesterday, following today’s confirmation of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s £71 million record move to Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao – as per BBC Sport. The Blues have now beaten the previous record set by Liverpool for the signing of a goalkeeper earlier in the transfer window when they brought in Brazil number one Alisson from AS Roma.

At the tender age of 23, Kepa represents something of a gamble for the London based outfit considering he has never played in the Champions league and currently sits behind David De Gea as Spain’s number 2 at international level.

The club’s hand was forced after Thibaut Courtois forced through a move to Real Madrid, but the fee they have had to stump up for his replacement means that the general price for high-level goalkeepers will now surely skyrocket.

The first example of this is likely to be Jan Oblak at Atletico, who according to Spanish publication SER, will be offered a new contract with the club as they also plan to raise his buyout clause to an astonishing €250 million.

The new deal would see the Slovenia international double his wages and remain at the Wanda Metropolitano until 2023, which represents a statement of intent from the club that says they are unwilling to lose their most prized asset in the near future.

If Jan Oblak signs for the next 5 years then it will be extremely difficult for any other top European club to prise him away from Madrid, but it certainly seems as though Atletico have prepared such an offer as a panicked reaction to the news from Chelsea in England today.