Chelsea finally look to have sealed a deal to sign Kurt Zouma but it could be at the expense of Brazillian star David Luiz.
Zouma will be their third signing of the January transfer window after agreeing a £12.4m fee with Saint Etienne for the defender.
His impending arrival will increase speculation over the long-term future of Brazil international David Luiz, as well as Captain John Terry.
Luiz is no longer first choice in manager Jose MourinhoÂ’s first team and was left on the bench for the 0-0 draw against West Ham last night.
The signing of Zouma will take Chelsea’s January spending above £48m having also bought Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah during this window.
However they have still made a profit during the month as Juan Mata and Kevin de Bruyne left for a combined £53m.
Manager Jose Mourinho has already been in talks with the France Under-21 international over a transfer and negotiations have stepped up between the two clubs this week.
The 19-year-old is expected to stay at the French club for the rest of the season before coming to Stamford Bridge in the summer on a five-year contract.
Mourinho is expected to sell more players in the close season to raise transfer funds for other targets and Luiz, who cost £25m in 2011, continues to be linked with Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
He is currently worth in excess of £30m, although his value could increase even further should he star for Brazil in the World Cup this summer.
