Arsenal Transfer News: Petr Cech Talks Held with Chelsea, Latest Gunners Rumours

Arsenal have "opened talks" with Chelsea over goalkeeper Petr Cech, according to Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail.

Mokbel suggests "Gunners chiefs have made discreet enquiries regarding Cech, trying to ascertain whether he would consider a switch to the Emirates Stadium." He indicates the 33-year-old is available for a fee in the region of £10 million, and that he and his family wish to remain in London.

Cech is also linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, as reported by Mokbel. James Dickenson of the Express indicates Manchester United may be tempted to lure him to Old Trafford if David De Gea joins Real Madrid this summer.

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Blues boss Jose Mourinho wants the player to stay, but admits he doesn't have the power to make the final decision, per Dickenson: "I would never let him go," said Mourinho. "But it's not in my hands. My perfect scenario is that he stays with us, I think he belongs to this club, this club belongs to his history and to his life, too."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be looking to strengthen in key areas this summer. Although he possesses a quality squad, he needs leaders to fill in important positions. Neither David Ospina or Wojciech Szczesny inspire complete confidence between the posts, meaning an upgrade appears to have become a summer priority.

Cech still has plenty of quality years ahead of him, despite winning everything with Chelsea. Even when afforded time on the pitch for Mourinho's side this season, he has put in decent performances. Wenger has never managed to fully replace the presence of Jens Lehmann in goal—someone who could intimidate through size alone—so Cech's arrival would be refreshing for the north London club.

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Viktor Kolar, the player's agent, suggests Cech is open to the best. Daily Sport writer Karel Haring tweeted his comments:

Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Stoke City stopper Asmir Begovic, who recently suggested he is open to a switch away from the Britannia Stadium, as reported by John Cross of the Mirror:

"

I couldn't tell you 100 percent what will happen. I have a great deal of respect for the manager, the chairman and the club. But I'm at a certain stage of my career.

It's about trying to be ambitious as possible, and to win and compete for as much as possible because I'm going to be 28, I'm not 20. I want to be part of a successful team and achieve things—that's my goal going forward.

"

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Begovic is one of the Premier League's most-respected goalkeepers. He has always been capable of moving to a bigger club but has remained at Stoke since 2010. The Bosnian is working through his peak years at the age of 27, so now may be the time to move on.

Elsewhere, Arsenal's pursuit of Barcelona forward Pedro appears to have received a boost. He is linked to a £10.8 million switch by Metro (h/t Telegraph Sport), and reports coming out from Spain suggest it won't be long before he moves on.

As noted by Moises Llorens of AS, "Pedro seems to understand that his adventure at the Camp Nou could be about to come to an end."

However, B/R UK's James McNicholas believes landing Cech should remain Arsenal's priority:

There's no doubt the goalkeeper would represent a massive coup for the club, who have been in dire need of a world-class stopper for years.

With the Gunners able to confirm at least third in the Premier League this season with a point against Sunderland Wednesday night, top quality signings are needed to close the gap on champions Chelsea. Nabbing one of their own would be an excellent start.