Chelsea plot mega swap deal to land Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Oblak

Chelsea are willing to include underfire goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga as bait in a player-plus-cash deal in order to land Atletico Madrid No.1 Jan Oblak, claims The Daily Mirror.

Frank Lampard is desperate to sign a new goalkeeper for next season following Kepa's struggles at Chelsea since arriving in a £71.6m transfer two years ago.

Kepa has failed to live up to the hefty price tag Chelsea paid for him but Lampard accepts he will only be able to sign a replacement if he can first sell the Spain international.

Finding suitors willing to pay anything close to Chelsea's initial outlay will prove almost impossible, even more so now with COVID-19 expected to hit player valuations.

It means pursuing Ajax shot-stopper Andre Onana or Sheffield United loan star Dean Henderson will be difficult for the Blues.

However, Chelsea are now exploring whether they can include Kepa as part as a package deal in order to land one of Europe's best goalkeepers.

A return to Spain would likely be Kepa's preference if he is to leave Chelsea and joining Atletico would arguably be an upgrade on his current position.

The big stumbling block for Chelsea is whether Atletico would entertain a potential swap deal involving Oblak, regarded as one of the best in Europe, and then how much they value Kepa.

Oblak has been frequently linked with a move to the Premier League but Atletico have so far managed to fend off interest in the 27-year-old.

Regularly valued in excess of £100m, Atletico are under no pressure to sell the Slovenia international with three years left to run on his current deal.

Since joining Atletico from Benfica in the summer of 2014, Oblak has remarkably kept 97 clean sheets in LaLiga and conceded just 114 goals in 178 appearances.