Rumour Mongering: Atleti Search for Oblak Replacement Amid Liverpool Interest

Nobody on the outside can honestly say right now if Liverpool will bring in a big name number one goalkeeper this summer to replace Loris Karius or not, but in the absence of certainty one thing you can be sure of is there will be transfer rumours.

Alisson, Jasper Cillessen, Thibaut Courtois. All have been linked in recent days—and in the case of Alisson for far longer than that—and now, reports in Spain claim that, far from being an unlikely fantasy for Reds fans, Jan Oblak could end up at Anfield.

That’s because there’s a growing belief at Atletico Madrid that Oblak isn’t going to be at the club next season and, as a result, they have begun to look for a replacement—with Athletic Bilbao’s 23-year-old Kepa Arrizabalaga being their first choice.

Atleti have tried to get Oblak to sign a new deal that would double his release clause to €200M and ensure he remains at the club, but Oblak has so far resisted those efforts, keeping his options open and sparking concerns at his current club.

Oblak’s current €100M release would, if triggered, make him the most expensive goalkeeper ever—but right now there is probably no better shot stopper in the game. Liverpool along with Arsenal are both said to be considering triggering it.

Kepa, meanwhile, has his own hefty €70M release clause—a fee Atleti would be loathe to pay under other circumstances but that they would be willing to consider should another club trigger Oblak’s release.