Arsenal & Liverpool Set For Cech Battle After Mourinho Agrees To Sell To Rival

With the January transfer now open for business, managers are working hard to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Chelsea have agreed to let Petr Cech join any club he wants…..

Arsenal and Liverpool are set for a summer transfer battle after Chelsea told Petr Cech he is free to choose his next club, even if that means selling to a domestic rival, according to the Telegraph.

Cech has been at Chelsea for over ten years since joining the club from Rennes in 2004 and up until this season, he’s been a regular fixture in the Blues starting eleven and played a key role in winning a number of honours including three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League.

However, the 32-year-old has been axed from the first team this campaign with Jose Mourinho naming Thibaut Courtois as his new number one after the Belgian youngster enjoyed a hugely impressive spell on loan at Atletico Madrid.

Cech has remained a consummate professional but understandably he’s not willing to sit on the bench for too much longer and although Mourinho has ruled out letting the Czech international leave this month, he is expected to find a new club in the summer.

Arsenal and Liverpool are both understood to be interested in offering Cech a fresh start in the Premier League and the duo have been handed a major boost as the Telegraph claim that Chelsea will allow the goalkeeper to choose his next club and they wont stand in his way if he wants to join a domestic rival.

The newspaper suggests that Arsene Wenger will reassess his goalkeeping options at the end of the season, with Wojciech Szczesny’s future as No.1 in serious doubt after he was reprimanded for smoking in the shower straight after his disappointing display against Southampton.

The Gunners boss is a long-term admirer of Cech and tried to sign him before he moved to Stamford Bridge, and a move to the Emirates would allow the player to remain in London where he and his family are settled.

However, if Arsenal do make a serious move for Cech in the summer they could face stiff competition from Liverpool with Brendan Rodgers actively looking to bring in a new No.1 to replace the beleaguered Simon Mignolet and the Northern Irishman would jump at the chance of signing a player of Cech’s experience and quality.

Until now, it had been anticipated that Mourinho would block any attempts from a direct rival to sign Cech, but the Telegraph claim that Chelsea want to acknowledge the level of service he’s given the club by allowing him to choose who he joins in the summer.

There is sure to be much interest from around Europe, but Cech’s agent, Viktor Kolar, was quoted just last month as urging Arsenal and Liverpool to make a move for his client:

“It’s unlikely Petr will leave Chelsea in the January transfer window. The club and coach want to keep him to help win the title.

“I think Arsenal should have made an offer to him. I think Petr would be considering it. Liverpool need to strengthen their position in goal and they know Petr will be available in the summer.” Kolar is quoted as saying by the Telegraph

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Cech will have just one year left on his contract in June so it’s understood he could be available for around £5m, which would represent an absolute bargain for the likes of Arsenal or Liverpool.

He’s arguably been the Premier League’s best stopper over the past decade and would be a real upgrade on the likes of Szczesny and Mignolet, and although he’s now 32, Cech still has plenty of years left in him as a top class goalkeeper.