Kepa
Kepa's current contract at Athletic is due to expire at the end of the season Getty

KEY POINTS

  • 23-year-old keeper only has six months left on his current contract at San Mames.
  • Arsenal and Juventus have also been linked with his services.
  • Spaniard reportedly in line for six-year deal worth €2.5m a year.

Real Madrid are said to be ready to complete the signing of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Club Bilbao once the transfer window reopens in January.

Arsenal and Juventus have also recently been linked with the Spaniard but Marca claims in its Monday front cover (11 December) that Los Blancos will dangle an offer worth €25m (£22m, $29.5m) to lure the 23-year-old keeper to the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of the second half of the season.

Kepa has a €20m buy-out clause in his contract at San Mames but Spanish publications claim Real are ready to pay €5m extra to maintain a good relationship with the Basque side.

Zinedine Zidane's side employed a similar strategy in the summer with the signings of Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos by offering a little bit more than the fee set in their respective release clauses at Atletico Madrid and Real Betis.

Marca adds that Kepa would commit his long-term future to Real by signing a six-year deal worth €2.5m (£2.2m) a year in wages.

The current Athletic keeper has emerged as one of the most promising goalies in Europe since making his senior debut at the Basque side in a 1-0 victory over Deportivo de La Coruña on 11 September 2016.

Kepa was a key member of the Spain squad defeated by Germany in the Under-21 European Championship final last summer and is an established presence in Julen Lopetegui's squad ahead of the World Cup 2018, battling with Napoli's Pepe Reina to be the second choice behind Manchester United's David De Gea.

The young keeper has also established himself as Athletic number one since last season.

However, his future at San Mames has been under scrutiny with his contract set to expire at the end of the current season.

Marca reported in November that Arsenal and Juventus had also been monitoring his situation but tipped Real as front runners in the race for his signature after identifying Kepa as Zidane's number one target to bolster the goalkeeping position ahead of United ace De Gea and Chelsea star Thibaut Courtois.

The Spanish publication claimed that Arsenal saw Kepa as a long-term replacement for 35-year-old Petr Cech with Juventus also considering him as the perfect heir to Gianluigi Buffon's throne.

Any suitor would be able to secure Kepa's services as a free agent at the end of the season but Marca claims Real will complete the signing in January to avoid further competition over the summer.

Kepa is also reported to be keen on a decisive move to avoid jeopardising his place in next summer's World Cup amid suggestions that Athletic could consign him to the sidelines should he dither on new deal.