Chelsea have reportedly identified Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale as a possible replacement for the outbound Asmir Begovic as understudy to Thibaut Courtois
Daily Mirror are claiming that Chelsea have identified Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale as a potential replacement for the outbound Asmir Begovic. The Blues have seen their approach for Celtic custodian Craig Gordon knocked back, which has led them to shift their attention to the Seagulls stopper with the Gordon deal hitting a snag.
Chelsea have kept Asmir Begovic’s move to Bournemouth on hold till they find a replacement for the Bosnian, something which has been a tedious task up until now. Their move for Craig Gordon seems all but dead, while PSG star Salvatore Sirigu, another target, is on loan to Sevilla till the end of the season and is unlikely to be able to move to Chelsea in January.
And now, they have moved on to a target who may be easier to land. David Stockdale has just six months left on his Brighton deal and has impressed in the Championship for the Seagulls this campaign. The 31-year-old has kept an impressive 14 shutouts in just 26 league games, conceding just 18 goals in the process.
Chelsea are lining up Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale as an alternative for Craig Gordon. (Source: Sunday Mirror) pic.twitter.com/NXgRNFt5Xh
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 29, 2017
Brighton, though, are in the midst of another bid for promotion to the top flight of English football and are unlikely to want to part with their in-form keeper before the end of the season, if at all. However, Stockdale’s contract situation could force Brighton’s hand as they might consider selling him than losing him for nothing at all come the end of the season.
Stockdale is reportedly looking for a lucrative new deal and Chelsea will, in all likeliness, will be able to provide the 31-year-old with the kind of contract he is looking for, something Brighton may not be able to afford.
However, Chelsea’s first priority remains Craig Gordon and the Blues shall only move for Stockdale once they are confirmed they will be unable to convince Celtic to part with the 34-year-old Scottish international.
Chelsea close in on Rangers wonderkid Billy Gilmour
The Sun have reported that Chelsea are ever-closer on a deal to bring 15-year-old Rangers ace Billy Gilmour over to Stamford Bridge. The Scottish ace is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in European football and has been courted by several top clubs, with the Blues primed to snap up the Rangers star.
The Blues have previously been linked with a £500,000 bid in order to land Billy Gilmour and it seems Chelsea are moving ever-closer to securing Gilmour’s future at Stamford Bridge.
The player will be available for a measly compensation fee come the end of the season, when the suitors are free to contact and negotiate a deal for Gilmour. But Chelsea are unwilling to wait that long and move now to beat their competition to land Gilmour.
15 years of age and training with the first team squad.
Billy Gilmour pic.twitter.com/AccT8MqDwb
— Ibrox Loyal (@IL_Official) January 24, 2017
The player has started training with the first-team squad at the nascent age of 15, which is a further proof of the prodigious talent that he is.
The likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Manchester United have all been credited with interest in the 15-year-old with all the aforementioned clubs, including Chelsea, sending representatives to watch the player in action multiple times and monitor his progress.
Chelsea have a notorious history of not providing much first-team opportunities to the youth at Stamford Bridge, but Conte’s arrival could convince Gilmour to take the leap, for the move would aid his progress, with the state-of-the-art facilities available at his disposal, if he does complete the Chelsea switch.
