Jose Mourinho will allow Petr Cech to leave Chelsea in the summer and seal a transfer to rivals Arsenal – but will only do so once an agreement is reached for his replacement.
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The Stamford Bridge veteran is preparing to leave west London and head to the north of the English capital; however, the move hinges on whether the Premier League champions can secure the signature of either Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic or Queens Park Rangers’ Robert Green, the Daily Mail report.
Cech, according to his goalkeeping coach and mentor, Christophe Lollichon, wants to remain in London to avoid the hassle of moving his family – and favours a transfer to Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to go head-to-head with the Gunners and offer a lucrative contract, but the 33-year-old has his eyes firmly set on the Emirates [via The Telegraph].
Jose Mourinho, according to the Daily Mail, wants a replacement goalkeeper, like Cech, that can pose a serious challenge to Thibaut Courtois’s position as No.1. Asmir Begovic is said to be at the top of his wish list, and the British newspaper understand that Chelsea are trying to wrap a deal for the Potters stopper quickly – perhaps to avoid frustrating the Czech Republic international.
Begovic has one year remaining on his current Stoke contract, and the club, the Daily Mail state, value the goalkeeper at £10.5 million.
The Blues could have their work cut out in enticing the 27-year-old to Stamford Bridge, however. The Bosnian international was rumoured to be on Manchester United’s list of candidates to replace Real Madrid-bound David De Gea, along with Hugo Lloris and Chelsea’s Cech [via the Daily Star].
Meanwhile, Spurs have also identified Begovic as a potential replacement for Lloris if the Frenchman leaves White Hart Lane in the summer. Both clubs would be more likely to offer Begovic regular playing time, unlike the English champions, given the futures of their current first-choice keepers are uncertain.
The former Portsmouth star made the move to Stoke City in 2010 and has gone on to record 160 appearances for the club. In the Potters’ 2-0 win over Everton in March, the Bosnia international earned his 50th clean sheet of his Britannia Stadium career, and could finally be close to earning himself a move to a Premier League giant this summer.