According to reports from The Telegraph yesterday evening, Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing an £8million deal for Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, which will also see prodigious midfielder Marco van Ginkel join the Potters on loan next season.
The Premier League champions have wasted no time in pursuing the Bosnian international, launching a £6million bid on the same afternoon Petr Cech’s long-awaited move to Arsenal became official.
He’s also been mooted as a potential replacement for Real Madrid-bound No.1 David De Gea at Manchester United, with the Red Devils reportedly attempting to muscle in on negotiations earlier this week.
But Stoke City have demanded £8million plus a player on loan from Chelsea and it appears the west London club has agreed.
According to The Telegraph, after much deliberation, the Blues have sanctioned a season-long loan at the Britannia Stadium for promising 22 year-old Marco van Ginkel. The Netherlands midfielder is highly-rated at Stamford Bridge and spent last year on loan at AC Milan.
The British newspaper also claim the deal could be concluded by the end of the day, which seems likely now that Mark Hughes has signed a replacement for his 6 foot 6 goalie in former Newcastle, Manchester City and Aston Villa man Shay Given.