According to reports from The Express this morning, Stoke City are demanding £8million and a Chelsea youngster on loan in exchange for goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
The Potters No.1 is widely expected to leave the Britannia this summer with his contract now into its final 12 months, and Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes recently admitted the 6 foot 6 shot stopper has probably held talks with interested parties already.
One of those interested parties is rumoured to be Manchester United, who view the Bosnian international as a potential replacement for Real Madrid-bound No.1 David De Gea.
But Chelsea have proved to be Begovic’s most proactive suitors thus far, launching a £6million bid on the same afternoon Petr Cech’s move to Arsenal became official.
It has since been rejected but the Blues hope to tie up the deal as soon as possible, with rumours that they’re about to increase their offer to meet Stoke’s apparent £8million valuation and Begovic reportedly content to serve as Thibaut Courtois’ No.1 in west London.
The Potters, however, want the Premier League champions to sweeten the deal by sending them a player on loan next season.
Manager Mark Hughes is happy to take Victor Moses again following his impressive loan spell at the Britannia last term, but he’s also interested in Championship Player of the Year Patrick Bamford and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who made his first Premier League start against Liverpool in May.
Whether Chelsea will meet Stoke’s demands remains to be seen; they’d prefer to sell Moses this summer, if possible, and Loftus-Cheek is already on the fringes of the senior squad.
Bamford, on the other hand, might be keen on a Potters move for next season, recently claiming he doesn’t want to be a bench warmer at Stamford Bridge.