The highest fee paid for a goalkeeper is about to be broken for the second time in a matter of weeks.

Chelsea are on the verge of signing Kepa Arrizabalaga after Athletic Bilbao confirmed that his £71.6 million buyout clause had been met.

It will surpass the £66.9m that Liverpool paid Roma for Alisson Becker last month.

Chelsea’s move for Arrizabalaga comes amid Thibaut Courtois’ impending exit.

The Belgian goalkeeper is close to a move to Real Madrid, with Sky Sports reporting on Wednesday morning that he is waiting for permission to fly to Spain for a medical.

The fees paid for Arrizabalaga and Alisson are nothing short of extraordinary. It makes you wonder just how much David de Gea is worth in today’s market.

Alisson is the more established of the two. He is Brazil’s No.1, while Arrizabalaga only became Athletic Bilbao’s first-choice ‘keeper during the 2016-17 season.

Alisson v Arrizabalaga

But how do their stats compare?

Using data provided by Squawka, GiveMeSport takes a look at the two expensive shot-stoppers.

All stats are taken in domestic action for the 2017-18 season.

Clean sheets

Alisson: 15
Arrizabalaga: 6

Goals conceded

Alisson: 27
Arrizabalaga: 36

Saves

Alisson: 92
Arrizabalaga: 80

Saves per goal

Alisson: 3.41
Arrizabalaga: 2.29

Distribution accuracy

Alisson: 83 per cent
Arrizabalaga: 67 per cent

Average distribution length

Alisson: 29m
Arrizabalaga: 43m

Successful passes

Alisson: 554
Arrizabalaga: 360

Pass completion

Alisson: 81 per cent
Arrizabalaga: 65 per cent

Punches

Alisson: 12
Arrizabalaga: 13

Catches

Alisson: 87
Arrizabalaga: 79

Defensive errors

Alisson: 3
Arrizabalaga: 1

Errors leading to goals

Alisson: 0
Arrizabalaga: 1

The stats are tilted in Alisson’s favour slightly due to the fact that he played more minutes than Arrizabalaga.

But he does come out on top in most instances.

At a time where goalkeepers are expected to be useful with the ball at their feet, the Brazilian’s passing and distribution stats really stand out.

Alisson also makes 3.41 saves before conceding, compared to 2.29 for Arrizabalaga.

The battle between them, and De Gea at Manchester United and Ederson at Manchester City, promises to be an interesting one.