With just a couple of weeks to go to the January transfer window, Asmir Begovic may soon find himself back at Stoke City. The Bosnian, who is currently second fiddle to Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea, is reportedly a target for Stoke City manager Mark Hughes.
The move for the Chelsea goalkeeper occurred after Stoke City learnt about the hefty price tag championship side Derby County put on their on-loan goalkeeper Lee Grant, should the Potters want him on a permanent deal. Lee Grant is presently on a six-month loan at Stoke City and is their 1st choice goalkeeper.
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Speaking on the situation, manager Mark Hughes said in a press conference on Friday, “There’s a value on Lee and we appreciate that because he’s done absolutely fantastic for us, but we are not going to be held to ransom.
“There’s a market value on Lee and we know that. But we are a bit far apart and we may have to look elsewhere,” said the former Blackburn and Manchester City manager.
“He’s been absolutely fantastic since he’s come here and his form has helped us at a time when we were conceding too readily and he’s settled everybody down. He’s been great and we’d love to get it done and we will pay a premium because he’s done so well for us but we think we know the value for Lee and at the moment it’s a bit too far away for us to be able to do,” said Hughes.
The 33-year old keeper was brought in as a back-up to Jack Butland and Shay Given, but with Butland sidelined due to injury and Mark Hughes opting Grant over Given, the English goalkeeper has become their main custodian with a string of reasonably good performances for the Potters this season.
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Mark Hughes would have certainly liked to make the move a permanent one but Derby County wants no less than £4 million for their man. Hughes, on the other hand, was hoping to land the keeper with a £2 million deal instead. Consequently, the Premier League side now wants to bring back their former man Begovic to replace Grant.
Begovic moved to Stamford Bridge in a £8 million deal in 2015 but has so far failed to cement a place in the Blues starting XI. With no Premier league games and just 3 appearances in the League Cup this season, he might well fancy a return to his former club to get playing time.
