Chelsea are interested in Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan, according to reports in the French media. The Blues are looking for a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga with the Spaniard having been dropped by manager Frank Lampard.
Maignan faced Chelsea in the Champions League group stages earlier this season, and there has been a mixed reaction to the club’s interest in the 24-year-old on Twitter:
Reminds me of Cech
— The Pensioner (@fpl_pensioner) 5 February 2020
Looked decent. Onana of Ajax should be on our radar too.
— Lewis Younger (@iAmSpideyLew) 5 February 2020
Now this is a goalkeeper I like, good on the ball, right height, perfect fit
— Dark Knight ? (@Basheeyrsani) 5 February 2020
Really? pic.twitter.com/vZAByKNxjF
— POOOOOOOOOQ (@RamGThunder) 5 February 2020
I am down for Mike. He’s really good. He can become very good
— ElGrecos (@AidoWand) 5 February 2020
He’s a downgrade on Kepa
— أبو إحسان (@Makelelekan_04) 5 February 2020
Onana would be a better option but I say keep kepa now and see how he does until the summer
— Dragos (@Dragos797) 5 February 2020
Honestly, he's a pretty good keeper from what I've seen
— Kemba?️ (@Cobham_Kemba) 5 February 2020
Looks like we’ve stopped buying top class players, are we accepting mediocrity
— Dane Jennings (@Dane___Train) 5 February 2020
The writing does appear to be on the wall for Kepa. Not only was he dropped for the 2-2 draw against Leicester last weekend, but there have been reports that Lampard has asked the club to sell him in the summer.
As well as Maignan, Udinese keeper Juan Musso has also been reported as a possible target for Chelsea in recent days, with the Blues seemingly sending out scouts to keep tabs on potential options.
It is believed Maignan may well be the top priority at the moment, going by the claims emanating from France, but that may change over the coming months.