UPDATE:
According to the Daily Mail, Petr Cech has completed his move to Arsenal, with the fee believed to be a reported £11m. Cech is now set to face his former club in the Community Shield on August 2nd.
More to follow…
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Chelsea shot stopper Petr Cech is closing in on a £11m move to Arsenal despite Jose Mourinho’s public reluctance of seeing him joining one of Chelsea’s direct rivals.
Blues legend Cech has been granted his wish of a move across London, wiith Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich going against the wishes of Mourinho and allowing Cech, who has spent 11-years at Stamford Bridge, to pick his next destination.
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is confident of completing the deal, with the two clubs understood to be close to an agreement which should flow very smoothly in the next couple of days.
The signing of the 33-year-old ‘keeper seems to be all but done with Wenger granting Cech’s desire of becoming Arsenal’s new No. 1 if he is to join them.
With the anticipated arrival of one of football’s greatest goalkeepers, it seems like this is the end of the Arsenal journey for Colombia ‘keeper David Ospina, who joined the club only last summer.
Ospina finished the 2014/2015 season as Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper but is likely to lose his place if Cech comes in.
He is a £4m target for Turkish side Fenerbahce.
However, Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is determind to stay at Arsenal and is insistent on fighting for his place.
Cech has reportedly already rejected deals from other big clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United as he is bent on staying in London, and agreeing personal terms with Arsenal is seen as a mere formality.
At the end of the last campaign, Wenger expressed his faith in both Ospina and Szczesny – publicly at least – when he bluntly said: “I believe in the goalkeepers I have.”
