Chelsea have made a bid of £6m for Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, as they prepare to replace Petr Cech, who completed his £11m move to Arsenal on Monday afternoon.
According to The Telegraph’s John Perry, Jose Mourinho tabled a bid of around £6m for the Potters’ keeper, after an afternoon of lengthy negotiations between the two clubs.
Though Stoke have rejected the initial offer, Mourinho is confident a deal can be reached before the end of this week; with the Blues expected to make an improved offer closer to Stoke’s £8m asking price, with the possibility of also taking a Chelsea player on loan next season.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina international only has 12 months remaining on his current contract, and is seen by Mourinho as the perfect replacement for Cech.
And despite late interest from Manchester United, it looks as though the 28-year-old will make the move to Stamford Bridge this summer, with Mourinho reportedly willing to double his current salary.
Begovic joined Stoke from Portsmouth in January 2010 and has since become one most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League, attracting interest from a number of European clubs.
However, he now looks set to join the Premier League champions, who have always highly regarded the Stoke keeper.
#Chelsea,obiettivo #Begovic dello #Stoke come sostituto di #Cech: c’è l’accordo con il giocatore http://t.co/9NIi3FcwQl #gdm #gdmercato #CFC
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) June 29, 2015
The Blues had a £4m bid rejected in August 2010, but are now strong favourites to sign the 28-year-old, who they see as strong competition for Thibaut Courtois.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina international is expected to feature in cup competitons, including the Champions League, next season.
And Stoke are reportedly willing to make England Under-21 captain, Jack Butland, their new No. 1 keeper, should Begovic complete the move which looks set to happen later this week.
