French champions Paris St Germain have agreed terms with Chelsea to sign Brazil defender David Luiz. Chelsea confirmed the deal in an official statement on Friday on their website.
The 27-year-old defender has agreed a four-year deal with the French club, with an option for a further season.
The press is reporting a baseline fee of £40m with potential add-ons taking it up to £50m based on performances. That would blow the £36m Thiago Silva acquisition in 2012 out of the water, although as always neither club has disclosed the transfer fee.
Chelsea will explore the possibility of signing the young Real Madrid centre-half Raphaël Varane, with the club looking to bring in young player and also balance the books to stay within Uefa’s financial fair play regulations.
Chelsea plan to bring in Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa for £31.8m, triggering the buyout clause in his contract at Vicente Calderón, while there is interest in securing a second striker, with Bayern’s Mario Mandzukic admired.
Chelsea are also seeking a left-back to replace the departing Ashley Cole, with Sevilla’s Alberto Moreno and Filipe Luís at Atlético tracked.
Mourinho has ample cover at centre-half, where John Terry has signed on for a further season, Gary Cahill has excelled and Branislav Ivanovic can perform. The youngsters Tomas Kalas – who played in the wins at Liverpool and Cardiff towards the end of the season – and Kurt Zouma, signed mid-season from St-Etienne but retained by the French club for the rest of the campaign, will also seek first-team involvement, though Chelsea will still look into recruiting Varane.
Officials from the Parisian club have travelled to South America and David Luiz is to undertake a medical at Brazil’s pre-World Cup training camp and the move is likely to be concluded over the weekend. But he will not be joined in Paris by his current his club-mates Eden Hazard, a long-term target for PSG’s owners, Qatari Sports Investments, or Oscar as Chelsea are intent on retaining both attacking midfielders.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
