According to Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail, Chelsea and Stoke City have reportedly been in talks for a few weeks now regarding the possible transfer of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to the English capital. The two Premier League sides are currently locked in discussion over the transfer fee, though. Chelsea have sent in a £6 million bid for the Bosnian which has been rejected, and Stoke apparently want to get £10 million for their number one plus a Chelsea player on loan for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, as the two clubs battle over Begovic, an agreement with the player is yet to be reached. I imagine that Asmir is trying to sort out what he wants at the moment, and I don’t exactly think it includes playing second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois.
However, Chelsea are trying to speed up the transfer process and are rumoured to be launching an £8 million bid for the goalkeeper within the next few days. Why? Mourinho and Chelsea are nervous that Manchester United might be joining into the fray and causing some problems with the deal. Rumours of David De Gea’s departure to the Spanish capital will just not go away, and the Red Devils are surely on the hunt for a possible replacement. A move to United would suit Begovic much more than a move to Chelsea in that case.
What does this mean for Chelsea? The Blues might end up overspending on the Bosnian and need to be careful. Manchester United will certainly be willing to meet Stoke’s £10 million asking price, and the player himself might also prefer Manchester over London. Because of this, Chelsea plan on intensifying transfer talks and pushing to reach an agreement for the transfer of Asmir Begovic as soon as possible.
