Chelsea will have to pay around €50-60 million to sign long-standing goalkeeper target Gregor Kobel from Borussia Dortmund.
According to German journalist Florian Plettenberg, suitors will have to fork out €50-60 million to secure the services of Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel after the Switzerland international extended his contract at Signal Iduna Park until 2028 without a release clause inserted. The player is a target for Chelsea ahead of the next transfer window, as per Football Transfers.
The Blues will likely remain on the lookout for a new goalkeeper in the upcoming January transfer window. After the sale of Edouard Mendy to Al-Ahli and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan move to Real Madrid, they depleted their options in the goalkeeping department and only signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton & Hove Albion in a €20 million deal in the most recent summer transfer window.
Meanwhile, promising American keeper Gabriel Slonina also left in the summer transfer window, joining Belgian club K.A.S. Eupen on loan to gain vital minutes for his development.
It is understood that Mauricio Pochettino wants another goalkeeper “to come in and compete for the No. 1 spot” with Sanchez, whose form in between the sticks has blown hot and cold this season. Dortmund custodian Kobel is among the top targets on their wish list as they continue to explore a number of options for next year.
⚫️🟡 Gregor #Kobel has extended his contract until 2028 without a release clause or any exit options! Confirmed from all parties involved ✔️
Clear commitment from the player to #BVB!
➡️ Price valuation for potential interested clubs in summer 2024: €50-60m – but Kobel has no… pic.twitter.com/uhO5D9XHTR
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) October 9, 2023
This is not the first time the Blues have been linked with a swoop for the Swiss shot-stopper. They expressed an interest in landing his signature in March earlier this year. But nothing materialised over the past summer transfer window before he signed a new long-term deal with Dortmund more recently.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper has put pen to paper on a new contract until the end of the 2027/28 season, and the extension makes him one of the club’s highest-paid players. He will now net more than €9 million a year, which is almost triple his prior pay.
Extending Kobel’s contract was one of Borussia Dortmund’s top pri’rities for this year, with the goalkeeper enjoying a meteoric rise since his move from VfB Stuttgart in 2021.
He has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the Bundesliga and has enjoyed two stellar seasons with the club, making a total of 84 appearances for the Black and Yellows. Kobel’s performances have seen him attract the interest of big clubs like Manchester United and Bayern Munich last summer.
While Kobel’s commitment to the Bundesliga giants has done little to shut down speculation of a move to Chelsea, it will mean that it will now become considerably harder for his suitors to prize him away, with no exit clause inserted in his new deal. So, any potential suitor will have to splash a premium amount, understood to be around €50–60 million, to lure him away from Dortmund.
Chelsea would also surely do well to snap up Kobel this summer, as he is arguably an upgrade on Sanchez and will improve depth in the goalkeeper department. However, with so many keepers still on their books and having already spent a fortune since Todd Boehly’s arrival, it does not behove them to pay €50–60 million for him.
