Transfer talk: Petr Cech waiting for when ‘cards are on the table’ to decide Chelsea future

Petr Cech says he will hold talks with Chelsea next week with the expectation 'that for what I have done for the club and what the club has done for me, we can arrange it so we are all happy'.

Petr Cech has made 333 appearances for Chelsea in the Premier League since 2004. Tony O'Brien / Action Images / Reuters

Chelsea

Petr Cech will hold talks with Chelsea next week, with the goalkeeper eager to sort out where he will be playing next season.

The 33-year-old Czech has a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge but was demoted to the role of back-up to Thibaut Courtois last season as the Belgian enjoyed an impressive campaign.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has stressed on several occasions he is eager for the Cech to stay with the Premier League champions and the player is keen to resolve the issue sooner rather than later.

“First I have to agree with the club what the conditions would be for leaving,” he told reporters in his homeland ahead of the European Championship qualifier against Iceland on Friday.

“Next week we will have a meeting with Chelsea.

Read more: The National's Transfer Talk page

“At the moment it is with my agent. When it is clearer and all the cards are on the table, we will decide.

“I believe that for what I have done for the club and what the club has done for me, we can arrange it so we are all happy.”

He added: “I keep all options open, regardless of the country. I will decide based on what is best for me and my family. It does not matter whether it is England, Germany, France or Spain.

“If I move, it brings difficulties. It must change everything, looking for housing, a school for children and so on.

“Therefore, the sooner I know what to do the better. I can plan everything and even rest before the new season.”

Fiorentina

Fiorentina have sacked Vincenzo Montella after claiming the coach, who steered the club to the semi-finals of the Europa League, lacked respect for the club that had "given him so much".

Montella has been rumoured to be leaving Fiorentina for a fellow Serie A club in recent months, with speculation also suggesting he may even take a year off.

But the club have taken swift action for Montella’s “ambiguous attitude” of late, issuing a statement on Monday saying they had been forced to “relieve” him of his duties.

“ACF Fiorentina views the recent actions undertaken by head coach Vincenzo Montella as a clear attempt to get out of a contract he signed less than two years ago because it includes a clause that he no longer holds to be in his interest, although he agreed to it at the time,” said a club statement.

“It is therefore with great regret that we must recognise that the trust required to continue our relationship together has been lost and, for the good of the club, we have little option other than to relieve Vincenzo Montella of his duties.

“This sudden situation naturally causes organisational problems which we must now resolve as a matter of urgency.

“We would have expected to see the coach behave in a clearer, more respectful and less ambiguous manner towards the club and the fans that have given him so much.”

Parma coach Roberto Donadoni, whose bankrupt side were relegated, and Basel coach Paulo Sousa, who previously played with Juventus and Inter Milan, have been linked with the position.

Club president Andrea Della Valle hit out last week at Montella, saying the club “is waiting to be informed of exactly where our head coach Vincenzo Montella stands”.

Montella led Fiorentina to the Europa League last four before their exit to eventual winners Sevilla, and steered them into next year’s competition thanks to a fourth-place finish in Serie A.

A former striker with Roma, whom he helped to their last Serie A title, in 2001, he has been linked with a move to AC Milan among other top Italian clubs.

However Montella was also reported to be frustrated with a lack of ambition at the club, and whether Della Valle would invest sufficiently in players.

He responded to Della Valle’s comments last week by saying that “clarity is required, with or without me”.

He added: “That said, I am the coach of Fiorentina and I am prepared to go on being the coach with professionalism and enthusiasm.”

Derby County

Aston Villa's record signing Darren Bent, released on a free transfer after four years, has signed for Derby County.

The 31-year-old striker spent the last four months of the season on loan at the Championship club, who missed out on a place in the promotion play-offs after finishing the campaign badly despite Bent’s 12 goals in 17 appearances.

“Darren Bent is a proven goalscorer and that was something he proved during his loan spell with the club last season,” Derby’s new coach, Paul Clement, who has moved back to England from Real Madrid, told the club website.

“He is going to be key in our plans to move forward.”

The former England striker cost £18 million (Dh101.1m) when he joined Villa from Sunderland in January 2011.

Bent netted on his debut and finished as joint top scorer that season but from 2013 played much less frequently.

He spent most of the last two campaigns on loan at Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion and then Derby, who have also announced the signing of Republic of Ireland international defender Alex Pearce from Reading.

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