Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has suggested that he is powerless to stop his goalkeeper Petr Cech signing for one of the Blues big Premier League rivals this summer.
Cech has hinted that he is keen end his stint as backup keeper to Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea, as he prepares to bring the curtain on a trophy-laden 11-year stay at the Stamford Bridge club.
Arsenal and Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move to the 32-year-old, yet the suspicion was that Mourinho would be reluctant to allow Cech to make the move to one of Chelsea's domestic rivals.
However, he has now confirmed in an interview with talkSPORT that he is not in a position to block a transfer for Cech to Arsenal or United, even though he has again reiterated his eagerness to keep the player in his squad.
"If it's in my hands he would never go, would never go to big clubs with fantastic teams, big candidates to win the Premier League, but it's not in my hands," Mourinho stated.
"My perfect scenario is that he stays with us. I think he belongs to this club, this club belongs to his history and to his life, too.
"He is a fantastic keeper, fantastic dressing room and squad man. I tried to prove the respect I have for him. I played him in the cups, gave him matches in the Premier League.
"I can imagine that a 32 or 33-year-old keeper feels young and feels the passion to play every game."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger refused to answer questions on his possible interest in Cech when quizzed by reporters last Friday, while Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has suggested he has drawn up a shortlist of candidates to replace David de Gea if he moves to Real Madrid this summer.
Paris Saint-Germain are another club being linked with a move for Cech, but Mourinho appears to be suggesting the player and the club's hierarchy will have final say in the destination of a keeper who will collect his fourth Premier League winners' medal at Stamford Bridge this Sunday.