The man who started his career at Pompey and went on to turn out for the likes of Chelsea, Bournemouth and Everton is now a wanted man along the M27, according to reports.
Asmir Begovic could be back at Fratton Park next season - as a Southampton player, according reports.
The former Blues keeper is said to be wanted by their fierce rivals, as he becomes a free agent this summer and leaves Premier League Everton.
Everton keeper out for next move as free agent
Begovic is also being eyed by Leicester City after their relegation to the Championship alongside rock-bottom Southampton, who endured a dismal top-flight campaign.
The man who turned out for Pompey at the highest level after coming through the ranks at Fratton Park, spent last season as a back-up to England’s Jordan Pickford at Goodison Park.
That came off the back of a full 2023-24 season with QPR in the Championship, where the Bosnia & Herzegovina international got 46 appearances under his belt.
The 6ft 5in man came through the ranks at Fratton Park, being recruited when he arrived on trial from Canada and was immediately offered a deal after impressing with Spurs also interested.
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Begovic gained exposure to first-team football at Macclesfield, Bournemouth and Yeovil, before being given his Pompey debut at the end of the 2008-09 season in a 3-1 Fratton Park win over Sunderland.
The following season saw Begovic make his Blues breakthrough in earnest under Paul Hart, going on to make 17 appearances as his club became the first Premier League side to go into administration.
Spurs and the £1m wrangle for Pompey keeper they never owned
The keeper was then sacrificed with Pompey in financial meltdown - and the bemusing situation of Spurs demanding £1m for a player they never owned in a long-running financial wrangle.
Asmir Begovic retains a close affiliation to first club Pompey. Here he pays a visit to Fratton Park in February 2019 for the Blues' clash with Bristol Rovers. Picture: Robin Jones/Digital South.placeholder image
Asmir Begovic retains a close affiliation to first club Pompey. Here he pays a visit to Fratton Park in February 2019 for the Blues' clash with Bristol Rovers. Picture: Robin Jones/Digital South.
The Londoners were keen on bringing in Begovic for a second time under Harry Redknapp, but the Canada-raised man pushed for a deal to join Stoke City - where his career hugely accelerated.
Begovic never wanted to leave Pompey, however, and was known at time to have been extremely emotional over being forced out.
Asmir Begovic made 17 Pompey appearances after coming through the ranks, yet left for Stoke in February 2010. Picture: Jamie McDonald/Getty Imagesplaceholder image
Asmir Begovic made 17 Pompey appearances after coming through the ranks, yet left for Stoke in February 2010. Picture: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images
‘Working with Dave Coles, I was pushing, pushing, pushing to keep progressing. Then bigger things took over. It wasn’t that I wanted to go – I had to go.
‘I had done really well in the first-team and was 22 at the time. If you’re playing in the Premier League at that age, you become a big potential asset.
‘Considering the financial trouble the club was going through, when January came around I understood I was probably going to be sold some way, somehow.
‘I don’t know all the ins and outs of what was happening at Pompey, but we knew two or three of us had to be sold to bring in enough funds for the club to survive.
‘My daughter, Taylor, had been born in St Mary’s Hospital in August 2009, while just before that my wife and I had brought a home in Bursledon.
‘The location was ideal considering training was at Eastleigh. It was a nice area for us to try to put some roots down – but that got turned upside down very quickly.
‘It was a Thursday, we were having a team lunch, when I received a phone call telling me a bid had been accepted for myself and Younes Kaboul from Spurs. My medical was the following morning.
‘I had to pack a bag and head up to London to stay in a hotel that evening. All I could say was “Okay”. It happened incredibly fast.
‘I was leaving Pompey, I didn’t have a choice. But I made sure I had a say in where my next step took me. It was vital I made the right decision.
‘I chose Stoke instead.'
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