Stamford Bridge side ready to do business with the Gunners, but on their own terms…
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech is edging closer to a long awaited move to Arsenal according to Sky Sports, but the Stamford Bridge outfit are pushing for some form of player-exchange deal.
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Understandably, 33-year-old Czech Republic international Cech is unlikely to want to once again sit on the bench in 2015/16, behind Jose Mourinho’s first choice custodian Thibaut Courtois, and is said to be keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium. Given his years of loyal service to Chelsea, the report claims the club won’t stand in his way, the an article from Sky Sports five days ago claiming the keeper wants to stay in London.
However, ideally Chelsea would like a ‘homegrown’ member of Arsenal’s squad as part of any deal, says the report, though this source doesn’t go as far as naming any particular options in this regard.
PSG have also taken an interest in the Chelsea star and an £11m price-tag is mentioned in the article, but Arsene Wenger’s side have the apparent advantage due to location.
Wojciech Szczesny started the 2014/15 campaign as Wenger’s first-choice starter but was unconvincing, and an error strewn display on New Year’s Day against Southampton led to the Pole being dropped.
Colombian David Ospina took over and initially impressed during Arsenal’s strong run of good form but he too failed to put in a consistent enough level of performance towards the end of the season.
Cech is still one of the best keepers in European football and in goalkeeping terms is by no means at the end of his career-span.
Title winning sides need genuinely world-class stoppers, and a move for the Chelsea custodian would be a real sign of intent for the Gunners. Whether they think his signing is worth parting with some of their British talent is another matter, of course.