Chelsea are reportedly keen on signing Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli with Antonio Conte needing a back-up shot-stopper in his squad next season.
The Premier League champions are light in that department with Asmir Begovic moving to Bournemouth this week, and so they will need cover for first-choice Thibaut Courtois next season.
Several names have been linked with taking up the role, but The Daily Mail claim that Bettinelli could be the man to fit the bill and join the Blues this summer.
The 25-year-old made 11 appearances for the Cottagers this past season, conceding 13 goals in those outings, but ultimately it’s up for debate whether or not it really matters as Chelsea are merely looking for a decent player happy to sit on the bench and who will be ready in case they’re needed.
That in turn represents a possible headache for Bettinelli as he would be sacrificing his hopes of first-team football by agreeing to a move to Stamford Bridge, although it’s an opportunity to likely earn more money and have a chance of being part of a squad looking to win major honours on a regular basis.
It’s a difficult balance, as Begovic experienced, but the Bosnian international will undoubtedly be delighted at the prospect of playing regularly in the Premier League next season.
However, Bettinelli may well embrace this type of challenge, even though it probably means acting as understudy to Courtois for the foreseeable future, with the Belgian international having a decent injury record which suggests that playing time will be really limited for his competition next season.