The transfer of Asmir Begovic to Bournemouth has reportedly been put on hold, as Chelsea are scouting the market for a suitable replacement for him
The Guardian have reported that Bournemouth’s hopes of signing Asmir Begovic from Chelsea depends on the Blues finding a suitable replacement for the Bosnian, and the Blues are currently scouting the market for a goalkeeper willing to be a back-up to Thibaut Courtois.
Asmir Begovic was one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League during his five-year stint with Stoke City. Boasting of superb shot-stopping abilities and quick reflexes, Begovic had some great numbers to show for his efforts, keeping 48 clean sheets in 169 Premier League games for the club.
Having impressed with the Potters, Begovic made an upwards career move, as he joined defending Premier League champions Chelsea in the summer of 2015 for a reported £8 million. The Bosnian joined the Blues as their second-choice goalkeeper.
However, as Chelsea number 1 Thibaut Courtois battled poor form and injury troubles last season, Begovic found quite a few chances coming his way, as he made 17 appearances in the Premier League, keeping four clean sheets in the process.
This season, however, Courtois has rediscovered his best form and has re-established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in English football. Surely enough, the opportunities have come in limited quantities for Begovic, managing just three EFL Cup and one FA Cup appearance in this campaign.
At 29, Begovic is currently in the prime of his career and as he looks to play more first team football, Premier League side Bournemouth have been linked with the goalkeeper. But it was reported last week that Chelsea turned down a £10 million bid by the Cherries, as they demanded more for the player.
However, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte did confirm that the club is sympathetic towards Begovic’s situation at Stamford Bridge, and would thus allow the Bosnian to move in January.
The reports from the Guardian, though, states that the Blues have now put Begovic’s transfer to Bournemouth on hold until they can find a suitable replacement who will be willing to be the second choice behind Courtois.
The report further adds that there are two goalkeepers in particular who are being considered by Chelsea, namely AC Milan’s Diego Lopez and Newcastle United’s Tim Krul.
However, a stumbling block in signing Lopez could be the fact that the Spaniard is currently on loan at Espanyol where he is a regular. So, sealing a transfer for the Lopez would hinge on the 35-year-old veteran being willing to give up regular first team football for Chelsea.
Krul, on the other hand, is also away on loan from his parent club, but unlike Lopez hasn’t played a single competitive minute for Ajax this season. Thus, convincing him to switch from the Amsterdam Arena to Stamford Bridge might be more likely with an appealing prospect of returning to the Premier League also on the cards.
As things stand, though, Begovic is not going anywhere unless Chelsea are able to seal a transfer for his replacement, and the Bosnian is expected to start the FA Cup fourth round match against Brentford on Saturday.
