Chelsea begin talks with France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda as Asmir Begovic inches closer to Stamford Bridge exit
Incoming Blues boss Antonio Conte keen to add goalkeeping competition to his ranks with futures of Thibaut Courtois and Asmir Begovic up in the air ahead of the new season
CHELSEA are poised to snap up France international keeper Steve Mandanda – with Asmir Begovic inching closer to the Stamford Bridge exit.
Mandanda is out of contract at Marseille and has already begun Blues contract talks.
He is expected to leave the club once he is finished with Euro 2016 duty, where he is back-up to Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris.
New boss Antonio Conte is keen to bring in goalkeeping competition to Belgian No.1 Thibaut Courtois.
Courtois’ future was plunged into doubt towards the end of last season as he missed a string of games , with an ‘illness’ cited as the reason as he sat and watched in the stands.
He has been linked with a move to Real Madrid but Conte wants to keep one of the world's best keepers on the Blues' books.
And Mandanda has been identified as the man to push him for the No.1 jersey according to the .
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Mandanda, 31, is a three-time Ligue 1 goalkeeper of the year who has made 22 caps for Les Bleus.
But it could prove to be a major wrench for him to leave Marseille after making a mega 433 appearances for L’OM.
But he is open to a move and would like a crack at the Premier League after nine years of service in the south of France.
Everton and Aston Villa have made recent checks on him, with the latter having taken him on trial before deciding against offering him a deal before he joined Marseille in 2008.
He suggested Marseille’s 4-2 French Cup final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last month would be his final game for the club.
Mandanda said: “Abroad would be something good at 31.
“It would be a nice adventure on both a sporting and a personal level.
"The two leagues that interest me most are the Premier League and La Liga.”