Spain international Robert Sanchez looks set to leave Premier League side Chelsea in the January transfer window.
Sanchez has never enjoyed the full faith of Blues boss Enzo Maresca despite his starring role in Chelsea’s summer FIFA Club World Cup triumph.
Despite starting 32 of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League games last season, it never looked like a sold arrangement, and Maresca targeted several goal keepers over the summer.
After failing to land Gianluigi Donnarumma or Mike Maignan, Maresca was forced to stick by Sanchez, but the situation has broken down again.
Some positive signs were effectively erased last weekend, as his clumsy foul on Bryan Mbeumo saw him sent off after just six minutes at a rain soaked Old Trafford.
Maresca was forced into a raft of substations to cover for Sanchez’s dismissal and that could be his final act as a Premier League goal keeper.
As per reports from Spanish transfer outlet Fichajes.net, Chelsea want to offload Sanchez in January, with a view to reviving their link to Maignan next summer as a free agent.
Maresca is the driving force behind pushing Sanchez to leave and he looks most likely to make a cut-price return to Spain.
The Catalan-born stopper spent three years in the youth set up at Levante, but never played a senior game, before moving on to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2013.
Sanchez is also battling to remain part of Luis de la Fuente’s plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer despite being firmly placed as third choice at best.
Unai Simon remains as No.1 following his return from injury with David Raya as back up despite his brilliant form for Arsenal in the last 12 months.
Alex Remiro was brought in for September’s two qualifiers, and has the current edge over Sanchez, but the latter has a few months to get himself back on De la Fuente’s radar.
