Report: Stoke City's Asmir Begovic emerges frontrunner to replace Petr Cech at Chelsea

Stoke City want one of Chelsea’s youth players in exchange for Asmir Begovic

Chelsea have made a £6million bidd for Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and are expected to seal the deal for the Bosnian international by the end of the week. With the recent departure of the veteran Petr Cech to Arsenal last week, Jose Mourinho is mulling options for his second choice keeper.

Begovic has caught the eye of the of numerous clubs including Chelsea and Aston Villa, according to the Telegraph. Also, The Express claim that Manchester United are interested in the player, but with David De Gea's future at the club still unclear, Louis van Gaal is reportedly waiting for Real Madrid to make a proper bid for the Spaniard before delving into the transfer market

Stoke want Chelsea player as part of the deal

Stoke City have requested £8million plus a player for their ace, who would act as second-fiddle behind goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois should he complete a move to Stamford Bridge. Three Chelsea players have been shortlisted by Mark Hughes – Victor Moses, Patrick Bamford or Ruben Loftus-Cheek according to The Sun.

Nigerian Moses spent last season on loan at Stoke making 19 appearances and scoring three goals, while Bamford played an integral part in Middlesbrough's rise in the Championship, and Loftus-Cheek has just broken into the Chelsea first team.

Begovic has one year left on his contract

The club had believed that Begovic would prefer first team football, but recent developments have suggested otherwise. Begovic has just one year left in his contract, thereby putting the Potters in an awkward position to either sell him at a reasonable price now or lose him on a free transfer at the end of next season.

The former Portsmouth man, at 28, is at his peak and has proven his mettle week after week between the sticks for Stoke, suggesting why the Chelsea gaffer is so keen on landing him at Chelsea. The Blues are thought to have upped their initial offer to £10 million and the Stamford Bridge outfit are optimistic that Stoke will accept the bid to allow them to enter into talks with Begovic.

The 6’5’’ stopper made 37 appearances and 87 saves (stats via ESPN) last season and has remained an unsung hero at the Briatianna stadium.The Blues are confident that £75,000 a week and a four-year contract will be tempting enough for Begovic.