Bournemouth
have completed the signing of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic from Chelsea for an
undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £10m.
The deal will become official on July 1 and the 29-year-old Bosnia and
Herzegovina international has signed a long-term contract.
And Begovic will be returning to a familiar haunt, having been on loan at
Bournemouth from Portsmouth back in August 2007, making eight appearances.
Begovic joined Premier League champions Chelsea in the summer of 2015 from
Stoke on a four-year deal for a fee of £8m, but has only made 33 appearances
for the club over the last two seasons, having mainly served as a back-up to
first-choice keeper Thibaut Courtois.
He will now compete for the Bournemouth job with current number one Artur
Boruc, 37, who has a deal until the summer of 2018 after triggering an
appearance clause in his contract.
Begovic told the Bournemouth website: "AFC Bournemouth is an exciting,
ambitious club which has everything in place for a very bright future.
"Being part of a title-winning team at Chelsea was amazing but I felt now
was the right time to move on, because I want to be playing regular
football.
"I am coming into an important part of my career and I want to show people
what I am capable of.
"When I spoke to [manager] Eddie Howe I knew AFC Bournemouth was the right
club for me and I want to bring my experience to the squad, both on and off
the pitch.
"I'm really excited to be part of the journey here and hope I can help take
the club to another level."
Howe said: "Asmir is an outstanding goalkeeper who has proved himself
capable of performing at the highest level over a number of years.
"He is at the right age and the right fit. He is a leader as well, and
exactly the kind of character you want in the team.
"Asmir will provide great competition to the excellent group of goalkeepers
we already have here and his experience will prove invaluable in the
dressing room and on the pitch.
"I look forward to him being a very important player here for years to
come."
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