Chelsea on alert as Atletico line up Oblak replacement

Atletico Madrid will target Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili if Jan Oblak leaves the club this summer.

Oblak is considering his future at the Spanish side after a decade at Atletico Madrid, in which the Slovenian shot-stopper has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football.



 

The 31-year-old was named as La Liga Player of the Season as Atletico won the title in 2020-21 and has won the division’s Zamora Trophy, handed to the goalkeeper who has the lowest goals-to-games ratio, on a joint-record five occasions.

However, Oblak could seek a new challenge this summer and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Atletico will not stand in the goalkeeper’s way if a significant proposal is received.

Chelsea and Manchester United are each long-term admirers of Oblak, with the former keen to sign an upgrade on Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic.

Manchester United spent £47.2m to sign Andre Onana from Inter Milan last summer but the Cameroon international endured a difficult debut season at Old Trafford. Newcastle are also in the market for a goalkeeper this summer.

Atletico want to lower their wage bill for next season and Oblak is one of the club’s highest earners on a reported £165,000-a-week.



 

Mamardashvili is a leading name on Atletico’s shortlist to replace Oblak, though Diego Simeone’s side could face competition from Bayern Munich and Newcastle.

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