Chelsea plot £35 million move for Liverpool to solve major Enzo Maresca problem

Chelsea are plotting a £35 million transfer bid for Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

The Republic of Ireland international has proved a more than capable understudy to the Reds’ No.1 Alisson Becker and the Brazil international has hardly been missed in the seven games he has been absent from as a result of a hamstring injury.

Liverpool have already made plans to reshape their goalkeeping department in the summer having agreed a deal with Valencia for Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Alisson contemplated leaving the Reds following the departure of Jurgen Klopp, but resisted the temptation of a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, where his former teammates Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are currently plying their trades.

Neither Alissom or Kelleher are likely to settle for playing second fiddle next term to Mamardashvili and Chelsea are understood, according to The Sun, to have sensed a major opporutnity.

The goalkeeping position at Stamford Bridge has been an issue for a succession of managers ever since the controversial departure of Thibaut Courtois in the summer of 2018.

Chelsea spent a then club-record £72 million on Kepa Arrizabalaga but the Spaniard failed to settle and the players that have been signed since then have proved to be only temporary solutions at best.

The current incumbent, Robert Sanchez, has failed to convince since his move from Brighton and lost his place under Mauricio Pochettino to Djordje Petrovic.

Sanchez has regained the No.1 position under Enzo Maresca but has made several high-profile errors that have cost his team goals and caused panic for the defenders in front of him,

Maresca has ordered his goalkeeper to continue taking risks and threatened to drop him if he tries to adopt a more conservative approach.

Despite his public backing, Chelsea are keen to sign a new goalkeeper and Kelleher, 25, ticks all the boxes and he may feel that it is the right time in his career to move on.

‘Caoimhin played 26 games last season and in that time he showed that he has the talent to be a No1 in the Premier League,’ former Ireland international Shay Given told The Sun.

‘But he turns 26 later this month and, if I am brutally honest, he needs to get away from Liverpool if he wants that to happen.

‘Kelleher would have been disappointed to hear [manager Arne] Slot state publicly that Alisson will always be his first-choice keeper because everyone wants to go into training every day with the belief that they are fighting for a place in the team.

‘Every professional footballer has to have that hope that if they get a place in the team and perform well then they will keep the jersey.

‘Caoimhin hasn’t got that. It has been made clear to him that he will always be behind Alisson – and let’s be honest he is up against a guy who is one of the best in the world.

‘Caoimhin turns 26 later this month. He’s done his time at Liverpool. That’s no disrespect to a brilliant club but they are now starting to think that they can’t hold Kelleher back for much longer because he is a quality player.

‘Maybe Caoimhin has been too nice about it up to now because sometimes you do have to force the issue. That isn’t a nice situation. He has been very loyal to Liverpool and he won’t want to upset the fans.

‘But at the same time, you only have one career, one life and one opportunity to make the most of what you’ve got. Ten years down the road he could be 36 and people are talking about him as being over the hill.’

Given added: ‘I look at him and think this guy’s the real deal. He proved last season over a long period of time that he is top quality. I’m sure there’s a number of Premier League clubs who are looking at him. He is ripe, fully cooked, and ready to flourish.’