After having their first bid for Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon, Chelsea have now returned with an improved offer for the 34-year-old in a bid to solve their goalkeeping crisis
According to Sky Sports, the Blues have launched an improved bid for Celtic FC goalkeeper Craig Gordon. The bid is understood to be in the region of around £4 million and comes amidst the club planning to offer the 34-year-old a contract extension which will see him stay at Celtic Park till 2021.
Brendan Rodgers recently confirmed the Blues’ interest in the Scotland international and didn’t rule out a possible move away, before adding that the initial offer that the Blues had tabled was ‘nowhere near’ Celtic’s valuation of the player.
According to the London Evening Standard, he said: “Chelsea have an interest in him but for any interest to be activated there has to be a valuation of the player that has to be met. We don’t want to sell him, of course, but if there’s [anything] that would make Celtic think, then there has to be an offer that would allow us to do that as a club. And what came in was nowhere near that level.”
Chelsea have been in the hunt for a replacement for Asmir Begovic, who recently confirmed that he had spoken to Antonio Conte about his situation and his desire to leave in a bid to get more minutes. So far this season, he has only played 5 games, none of which have come in the Premier League.
He had a far better outing at Chelsea last season, due to a long injury lay off and suspensions to current first choice keeper Thibaut Courtois. He made 25 appearances last term and had a much better individual season than the rest of his Chelsea teammates in what was a disastrous season for the Blues.
The Blues’ have also been rumored to be interested in Paris Saint-Germain’s Salvatore Sirigu, who is having a difficult spell on loan at Sevilla, having featured only thrice this season. Chelsea had turned their attention to the Italian after their first bid for Gordon had failed.
Conte will be familiar with Sirigu having spent time with him with the Italian national setup. At 30 years of age, he is 4 years younger than Gordon and far more experienced, having won numerous titles with PSG and making over 30 appearances for them in the Champions League.
The Blues have also been reported to shift their attentions to 31-year-old Brighton keeper David Stockdale after their first bid for Gordon failed. Diego Lopez of Espanyol and Fernando Muslera of Galatasaray are also targets for Antonio Conte’s side.
