Petr Cech to Arsenal: Gunners confident of signing Chelsea goalkeeper for £11m next week after Blues give the green light

Cech is almost certain to leave Chelsea this summer after falling behind Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech (Getty Images)

Arsenal could land a new goalkeeper by the end of next week after moving in on Chelsea's Petr Cech in an £11m deal.

The Czech Republic international looks certain to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after falling behind Thibaut Courtois in Jose Mourinho’s pecking order. The Belgian goalkeeper himself admitted that Cech is too good a player to sit on the bench, and the 33-year-old is likely to join another club where he will be afforded more first team football.

However, Cech is reluctant to move his family away from London which limits his potential destinations, and it’s believed that Chelsea will reluctantly not stand in his way of joining Arsenal should the Gunners meet their valuation of Cech, given his 10 years of loyal service that has produced four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the Champions League success in 2011-12 and the Europa League victory the following year.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are closing in on Cech’s signature, and the club are reported to have made a formal enquiry with talks set to progress early next week with Cech currently returning from international duty.

Cech started the Czech Republic’s 2-1 defeat to Iceland on Friday that leaves them two points behind their rivals in Euro 2016 qualifying Group A.

Once the player is back in London, talks are expected to continue between the two clubs that could see Arsenal offer as much as £11m, but a move to the Emirates looks to be a foregone conclusion should Chelsea give the green light after Paris Saint-Germain pulled out of the running for Cech.

Petr Cech is closing in on a move to Arsenal (Getty Images)

It’s likely that Cech will become the new No 1 at the Emirates despite David Ospina impressing since he was given the starting shirt in January, but the future looks bleak for Wojciech Szczesny’s Arsenal career given that the Pole was dropped for a combination of poor form and falling foul of manager Arsene Wenger’s disciplinary expectations when he was caught smoking in the changing rooms following the 2-0 New Year’s Day defeat at Southampton.