Chelsea tipped to sign Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan to replace Kepa: Things to know about him

Bengaluru, Aug 24: The costliest signing in Chelsea's history, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will reportedly be cut out from the scene by manager Frank Lampard next Summer.

The English manager reportedly has not been impressed with the display by the former Bilbao player who has made calamitous mistakes regularly this season.

As a result, at the latter part of the season, he was even dropped to the bench with veteran shot-stopper Willy Caballero taking his place.

Now as per reports, Lampard has allegedly clearly told the club to look for a new keeper this Summer. The Blues have been linked with several names already such as Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak or Barcelona’s Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

But with all of them likely to attain a huge transfer fee, they are apparently now looking for cheaper options. The latest linkup that has been made is of Mike Maignan who plays as a number 1 at Lille.

As per reports, Chelsea are gearing up to try and convince the Ligue 1 outfit to sell their stopper.

The 25-year-old France international is surely something of an unknown quantity for most Premier League fans. Hence here we have decided to look at a couple of things you should know about the Chelsea target.

His Lille stint so far

Maigan was a PSG academy graduate but left the club in 2015 for Lille after failing to step up to the first team. After two seasons as an understudy, he was finally given the first-team role in 2017-18 and since then he has not had to look back.

The 2018-19 season handed him his major breakthrough, where he helped his side finish second in Ligue 1 and was adjusted the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 by the National Union of Professional Footballers. The 25-year-old continued to shine last season also where he conceded only 27 goals in 28 appearances.

Attracting interest from Tottenham

Not only Chelsea but also London rival Spurs too have had an interest in him as per reports. Due to Hugo Lloris ageing and Mourinho not convinced with Paulo Gazzaniga, the club are apparently interested in signing Maignan as a potential replacement. Although, no concrete contracts have been made yet. It now remains to be seen, where he lands up finally.

Yet to make an International appearance

Maigan has been tipped to become Hugo Lloris' long-term successor for the national side. However, he hasn't been given his chance as of yet. He was called up for the European Championship qualifiers against Turkey and Andorra and a friendly against Bolivia in May, but yet to appear in the starting XI. He has played in the lower age group for France.

Transfer fee

The Lille shot-stopper is out of contract in 2022 but could be available for around £20 as per reports. Lille are reportedly open to letting him go for the said amount and apparently, have already begun discussions with Saint-Etienne for Stephane Ruffier as his replacement. All these make Maignan an attractive proposition for Chelsea, considering the Blues are in the midst of a squad overhaul this summer.