Eddie Howe's Bournemouth have been dealt a blow in their hopes of signing Asmir Begovic, as Chelsea have rejected their approach for the Bosnian shot-stopper. The fee in question was in the region of around £10m and Chelsea are holding out for £12m, if the Cherries are to sign the former Stoke City star, says the Daily Mail.
Begovic has failed to make a single Premier League appearance this season, but has appeared four times in all competitions for the Blues. He has made three outings in the League Cup and was in the goal during Chelsea's FA Cup clash against Peterborough United.
An upgrade between the sticks?
First choice goalkeeper Artur Boruc recently made his 100th appearance in the Premier League, but his age-36 is a cause of concern for Howe. Second choice stopper Adam Federici, who was acquired from Reading in 2015, is currently 31 and has made a League Cup and a FA Cup appearance each, apart from having made two Premier League outings.
While Boruc has made 19 starts for the Cherries, someone like Begovic would certainly be an upgrade for either of the two and his experience of playing regular top flight football would come in handy.
A second bite of the Cherry
It isn't the first time that Bournemouth are pursuing Begovic to come in at Vitality Stadium and guard their pair of sticks. In fact, the Cherries had been after the Bosnian last season too, but they had fallen short of Chelsea's bid for the then Stoke City man.
Eddie Howe's men had offered the £8 million that Chelsea had paid for him, but Begovic probably saw Stamford Bridge as a more prominent place to go to, when compared to the then newly promoted Bournemouth.
Blues boss Antonio Conte has previously confirmed that they won't be offloading any of their players this winter and Bournemouth would have to stump up their fee, if they want to have any chance of getting their man.