Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly the latest to enter the summer chase for Jasper Cillessen, who has been linked with a move to Premier League side Liverpool.
According to Spanish publication Sport, Jasper Cillessen has become a wanted man in the current transfer window. Backup to Marc-Andre ter Stegen at Barcelona, the Dutchman has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, all of whom are in the market for a new first-choice.
Jasper Cillessen is perhaps, one of the best second-choice keepers at the club level, but has found game time hard to come by, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen ahead of him in the pecking order, a situation similar to Sergio Romero’s at Manchester United, where the Argentine is backup to David De Gea.
Cillessen has recently been linked with a move away from Barcelona, with the Dutchman keen to return to playing football every weekend. The stopper is likely to get his wish granted as well, with three Premier League heavyweights, tracking his developments at Barcelona – Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Liverpool were the first ones to be linked with Cillessen, with Jurgen Klopp keen on bringing in a quality goalkeeper to put rest to the question as to who will be the first-choice keeper at Anfield, with current options Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet both failing to be consistent at the big stage.
Liverpool seemed to be pondering over the prospect of meeting Cillessen’s release clause at Barcelona, which reportedly stands at €60 million. The Reds were thought to have received a boost, with reports that Barcelona were ready to listen to offers at around half of the €60 million release clause. But, Chelsea and Arsenal seems to have entered the chase to further complicate the matters.
At Chelsea, Thibaut Courtois’s contract standoff has finally ended, with the Blues ending contract talks with the Belgian and his representatives, thus adding wind to the exit rumours that were already rife. Real Madrid have always been credited with interest and with Courtois now a realistic target, they could swoop in for the player, which has forced Chelsea to dive into the market for a new goalkeeper.
The Blues have been linked with a move for Jack Butland, but Cillessen could be a far better option at the reported price of €30 million, which is cheaper than what Stoke City are asking for the Englishman.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have an ageing first-choice keeper in Petr Cech, who has become prone to blunders of late. A new custodian is needed and with Unai Emery at the helm, he could move his contacts in Spain to convince Cillessen to move to Arsenal, despite no Champions League football.
The task remains convincing Cillessen as to who among Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool has the best project. Liverpool have the edge of Champions League football. And with Barcelona ready to offload Cillessen at €30 million, the Dutchman is more than likely to be involved in a transfer in the summer.
