Petr Cech
Arsenal are confident of landing goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea after holding positive talks with the Stamford Bridge outfit Getty

Petr Cech has agreed personal terms with Arsenal and is closing in on a move to the Emirates, according to Sky Sports.

Arsenal have reportedly beaten Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature, despite the French club's willingness to offering him a massive wage hike for his services. The player had his heart set on staying in London, where he has his family settled for over 11 years, from the time he joined Chelsea in 2004.

Jose Mourinho was unwilling to let his star goalkeeper leave the club in favour of Arsenal, but owner Roman Abramovich has granted him the request, keeping in mind Cech's unrelenting service to the club in which he won four Premier League titles, a Champions League and four FA Cups.

Cech had only a year left in his current contract and is on the verge of completing a cash only deal with the Gunners, who rejected Chelsea's request to hand them a home grown player in return. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was touted to be the man in demand but Arsene Wenger has rebuffed any enquiries for the player and is likely to complete the Cech deal by the end of June.

Cech will add some much needed experience in the position, which is currently being handled by the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina. The Pole was dropped in favour of Ospina on New Year's Day when a couple of goof-ups allowed Southampton to take a two-goal lead and led to Arsenal dropping three points in the race for a Champions League spot.

However, Ospina has replaced the Pole well and put in a good shift, but is unlikely to be willing to play second fiddle to Cech for another season, with Szczesny likely to stay beyond the end of the summer. Ospina has been linked with a move to Turkish club Fenerbahce, where he will be afforded first team action.