Friday, 31st January, 2014
Chelsea are close to wrapping up a €16m deal for Saint-Etienne defender Kurt Zouma, according to L'Equipe.
The 19-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, with Blues manager Jose Mourinho personally calling the youngster, something Zouma himself revealed earlier this month.
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However, the deal hit a roadblock yesterday as Saint-Etienne were holding out for €20m for the promising defender, while Chelsea were reluctant to fork out more than €15m.
But now it seems that the Premier League outfit have managed to negotiate successfully as they are set to pay €13m plus a further €3m in bonuses for the France Under-21 international.
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Zouma, who will sign a five-and-a-half-year-deal with Chelsea, will be loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the remainder of this season, keeping the French club's promise that he would not leave this term.
The centre-back has scored four goals in 61 appearances in all competitions for Les Verts.
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