Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is set to move to Chelsea for £8 million in a deal that will see midfielder Marco Van Ginkel go the other way on loan, according to Stuart James of the Guardian.
After Petr Cech left the club for Arsenal earlier this month, the Blues have been on the search for a new back-up for Thibaut Courtois. It seems their search has come to an end with the acquisition of Bosnian international Begovic.
Dutchman Van Ginkel has agreed to spend the season loan at the Britannia Stadium, after just returning from a spell at AC Milan. According to various reports, Stoke rejected the opportunity to take the likes of Nathan Ake, Patrick Bamford, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan. Begovic has been playing for Stoke for five years after joining from Portsmouth.
During his time with Pompey, he spent time on loan at numerous clubs including Bournemouth, Yeovil Town and Ipswich Town. He managed to establish him at Stoke and went on to make over 150 appearances for them. The 28-year-old is also a regular in the Bosnian national team and featured in last year’s World Cup.
