Chelsea to make £8m move for Newcastle keeper Karl Darlow if they miss out on Craig Gordon
Race hots up to fill No 2 role at Stamford Bridge as the Blues look to replace Thibaut Courtois' understudy Asmir Begovic
CHELSEA have their eyes on Newcastle keeper Karl Darlow in case they fail to land Craig Gordon from Celtic.
Gordon is in crunch talks with the Scottish giants, who knocked back the Blues' initial offer of £3million.
Parkhead chiefs made it clear the, which could leave Chelsea with a hole to fill as it looks as though Asmir Begovic is joining Bournemouth for £10m.
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Chelsea obviously need back up for No 1 Thibaut Courtois and so have Darlow - rated at £8m - in their sights.
Darlow is a renowned as a fine shot-stopper and has plenty of Championship experience, having played over 100 times for Nottingham Forest.
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The 26-year-old's only Premier League games came in last season's relegation dogfight but Toon observers insist he still boasts bags of potential.
Newcastle would be in a strong position in talks with the Blues as Darlow is under contract until 2020.
It's also unlikely that Rafa Benitez would want to sell while the player himself must ask himself if he wants to swap regular first-team play to become a No 2 when he might well be back in the Prem with Newcastle next season, anyway.
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Begovic, meanwhile, could solve a big problem at Bournemouth who have struggled to keep clean sheets this season.
Artur Boruc, 36, has not been at his best and Bosnian international Begovic is seen as the stopper who could make the difference at the Vitality Stadium.