Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo remains defiant despite Chelsea interest in Jan Oblak
According to the Daily Mail, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo is defiant that star goalkeeper Jan Oblak will stay at the club.
His comments come following Chelsea’s interest in the Slovakian. The 27-year-old is high on the club’s wishlist as they look to replace an under-fire Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Signing Oblak could see Chelsea break the world record for the most expensive keeper. This will be the second time in three summers that they have done so. He could cost the Blues a mammoth £109million.
However, that will not be the case if Cerezo has his way.
“Oblak has a contract, he is an Atletico player, period.”
Cerezo was full of praise for the Slovakian, who he thinks is the best goalkeeper in the world.
“Oblak is a magnificent player and in his position, unquestionably, there is no one to beat him right now.”
It is exactly what Chelsea could with right now after a season with glaring defensive frailties. No other team has conceded more goals than us in the top ten of the Premier League this season.
Kepa has failed to inspire confidence. This was apparent as Frank Lampard dropped him for key games against Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The same cannot be said of Oblak, who is among the best in the world. He has been a match-winner for Atletico for years and has proved himself as a consistent performer.
He has conceded just 174 goals in 256 matches for Atletico and has kept an impressive 139 clean sheets. The fact that he averages 0.68 goals conceded per match is mind-boggling.
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The Blues are also interested in Ajax Amsterdam keeper Andre Onana. The 24-year-old represents a much more economical option compared to Oblak. Bayer Leverkusen too are in the fray and have had an £18m bid rejected by the Dutch giants.