Arsenal To Sign Man Utd Target Petr Cech Next Week After Opening Talks With Blues

As the opening of the summer transfer window approaches, managers are working hard identifying targets and lining-up potential deals so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Arsenal Close in on Petr Cech….

Arsenal are hoping to wrap-up the signing of Manchester United target Petr Cech by the end of next week after opening formal talks with Chelsea over the goalkeepers signature, according to reports.

Cech is expected to leave Stamford Bridge after losing his place to Thibaut Courtois last season and although he featured heavily in the domestic cup competitions, the Czech international made just 7 Premier League appearances.

There has been no shortage of interest being shown in the 33-year-old with Arsenal, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain all strongly linked with the shot-stopper in recent months.

However, the Gunners have emerged as strong favourites as it’s believed Cech would prefer to remain in London where he and his family have been settled for the last 11 years.

It looks like a move is now edging closer to completion as the Daily Mail are one of several newspapers who are reporting today that Arsenal are confident of landing the goalkeeper and hope to wrap-up an £11m deal by the end of next week.

The paper claims the North Londoners have lodged a formal enquiry to Chelsea and further talks are now due to take place next week to thrash out a deal, with the Blues reluctantly agreeing to let Cech join their rivals.

If, as expected, this deal goes through it will be a major coup for the Gunners as Arsene Wenger has been looking for a world class keeper since the days of Jens Lehmann, and there aren’t many better out there than Cech.

He’s been an outstanding servant for Chelsea since joining from Rennes in 2004 but his arrival at the Emirates will cast doubt over the future’s of Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina.

Szczesny was axed as No.1 back in January so he’d be the most likely to depart with a loan move a distinct possibility, but it remains to be seen how Ospina will react if he’s relegated back to No.2 having filled-in admirably during the second half of last season.

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While it looks like Arsenal are about to pull off a major signing, the news will come as a blow to Manchester United as they had earmarked Cech as a possible replacement for David De Gea – who’s tipped to join Real Madrid this summer.

However, it looks like Louis van Gaal will now have to look elsewhere which could see the Dutchman step up his interest in Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.