Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, recently said that he wants Asmir Begović to stay at the club, but at the same time admitted that his situation is not ideal. Begović is a very good goalkeeper, but remains the second choice behind Thibaut Courtois. The Blues are willing to let him go in January, provided they get a suitable replacement in his place.
Premier League club, AFC Bournemouth, have shown an interest in Begović. Chelsea have already rejected Bournemouth’s opening bid in the region of £10m for the Bosnia international, but the club are aware that the player wants to play regular first-team football.
According to reports from the Daily Telegraph, Craig Gordon has emerged as a shock target for the Blues. The club have prepared a three-man shortlist, the other goalkeepers being Diego López and Fernando Muslera.
Former Chelsea coach, Christophe Lollichon, has recommended Gordon to Chelsea before, as the Celtic star has plenty of Premier League experience from his five-year spell at Sunderland.
Gordon is currently Celtic’s first-choice goalkeeper and has a contract till 2018. It will be extremely difficult for Chelsea to negotiate a deal for the 34-year-old goalkeeper. The Blues, however, may offer one or two players on loan as a part of an exchange deal, with former coach Brendan Rodgers thought to be admirers of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dominic Solanke and Ola Aina.
Chelsea are also interested in Muslera, but, like Gordon, he is also contracted with Turkish club, Galatasaray, till 2018. Muslera is a player already known to Conte from his time in Italy. Muslera may not have Premier League experience, but he has played 85 times for Uruguay and performed well in the 2010 World Cup.
Conte has agreed to try and find a solution for Begović so that he can play regular first team football with Bournemouth. In all probability, Begović will continue with Chelsea till the end of the season, as Conte will not to do anything silly that can jeopardise Chelsea’s title bid. Chelsea will face Brentford in the FA Cup tie this weekend, and Begović is expected to start for the Blues.
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