Rejected Aston Villa bid makes Chelsea favorites for goalkeeper

Petr Cech is expected to be announced by Arsenal as soon as the transfer window opens on Wednesday, which means that Chelsea will be on the hunt for a new backup goalkeeper.  While it would be an impossible task to bring in someone of Cech's quality to be Courtois's backup, we will no doubt try to get as close as we possibly can.  Sorry, Jamal Blackman, Matej Delač, et al.

We understand that on Friday that Stoke rejected a bid from Aston Villa for Begovic.

But on Sunday, Sky sources say that Chelsea now head the queue for the Bosnia-Herzegovina international, although there remains "lots of interest" from other clubs.

-source: Sky

This is hardly the first time Begovic has come up; we've been linked with the 28-year-old since before this blog was even born and he's been coming around steadily once again as Cech's departure became more and more certain.  Could this time finally be the time?  Would Begovic, who does count as a homegrown player, be willing to be just a backup when he could easily be a starter on just about any team in the Premier League?

Wait, a backup goalkeeper who doesn't take up a non-homegrown spot?  Time for Chelsea and Mourinho to turn on the persuasive charm.