Chelsea have agreed to pay £25 million plus add-ons for Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The Blues have been searching for a goalkeeper to join their team since Edouard Mendy was transferred to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia.
The 25-year-old Sanchez is going to compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga for the number one spot.
The goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts at Chelsea worked with the Spaniard during his time at Brighton, so the coaching team will be familiar with him.
Sanchez joined the Seagulls’ academy from Levante in 2013 and he has been with the team since he was fifteen.
Following loan time with Forest Green and Rochdale, he made his Brighton debut in November 2020 and went on to become the Seagulls’ first-choice goalkeeper for the next two years.
He was also called up by Spain in 2021 and participated in both the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and the 2022 World Cup, despite the fact that his only two caps came in friendlies.
Sanchez was replaced by Jason Steele in the second half of Brighton’s 2022-23 Premier League season, however, he did play in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United on penalties at Wembley.
Sanchez’s contract with Brighton, where he has made 90 appearances, was set to expire in June 2025.