Chelsea have accepted a £10m bid from Bournemouth for goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, as he now nears a move to join Eddie Howe’s side this summer.
The 29-year-old was limited to just eight appearances in all competitions this past season, with Thibaut Courtois refusing to budge from between the posts in the title-winning campaign.
In turn, Begovic is far too talented a shot-stopper to be wasted on the bench at Stamford Bridge and it has been touted for some time that he could move on this summer.
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea and Bournemouth have moved closer to making the move happen after agreeing on a £10m transfer fee, although Begovic himself has yet to agree on personal terms with the Cherries.
The Bosnian international joined Chelsea in 2015, and has previously played for Bournemouth during a short loan stint in 2007.
While some may argue that this is a major step down for him in his career, it’s commendable that he’s ready to push for first-team football and prioritise that over getting paid significantly more to sit on the sidelines and watch.
He’ll likely relish the challenge of competing with Artur Boruc for a place in Howe’s starting line-up, and in truth, it’s more than likely he’ll get in and be given an opportunity ahead of the Pole as opposed to Courtois who has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in Europe.
The move still hinges on Begovic agreeing on personal terms, but it looks as though Antonio Conte will be in the market for a back-up goalkeeper this summer as well as he would have surely understood Begovic’s desire to seek regular playing time elsewhere.