Chelsea are preparing to submit a formal offer to sign Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs next summer, according to Sébastien Vidal.
Robin Roefs has delivered an impressive debut campaign in the Premier League, showing clear promise between the posts. Much of Sunderland’s strong season has been built on a resilient defensive structure, with the goalkeeper playing a key role in that solidity.
After arriving from NEC Nijmegen following Sunderland’s promotion, the Dutch shot-stopper has registered eight clean sheets, helping guide the Black Cats towards a top-half finish.
He currently ranks highly across key metrics, placing 4th for total saves and 3rd for save percentage (72.2%) in the league. According to FotMob, the 23-year-old is averaging a 71.4% save rate, making 3.04 saves per game, and preventing 0.008 goals per match.
His save percentage stands out in particular, with only Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emiliano Martínez recording higher percentages in the league, and it’s no surprise he’s set to become a subject of interest next summer.
According to Vidal, Chelsea are set to make a swoop for a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window and have earmarked Roefs as a viable option.
Shotstopper
It appears the world champions are looking to make their interest concrete, as the journalist adds that the club are considering submitting a formal £60m offer for the transfer of the 6ft 3in shot-stopper to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues want to steal a march on other rivals to land the Dutchman by accelerating their efforts to sign him ‘in the coming weeks’, according to the report.
Chelsea have struggled to secure a consistent long-term solution in goal since making Kepa Arrizabalaga the most expensive goalkeeper in history in 2018.
Edouard Mendy arrived two years later but departed for Al-Ahli Saudi FC in 2023. Since then, the club have brought in Robert Sánchez, Đorđe Petrović, Filip Jørgensen, Gabriel Slonina and Mike Penders.
However, most of those options have yet to inspire full confidence, with Penders, currently on loan at Strasbourg, emerging as the exception and increasingly viewed as a future No. 1.
Roefs would be an ideal addition, providing a reliable goalkeeping presence for Liam Rosenior and offering a high-quality first-choice solution while enabling a gradual transition for Penders in the coming years.
