Chelsea have thrashed out personal terms on a contract with Zenit Saint Petersburg midfielder Leandro Paredes over a proposed move to England this month.
Cesc Fabregas left Chelsea for Monaco last week but the club have continued work to bring in a replacement for the Spaniard in the winter transfer window.
With Nicolo Barella reportedly unwilling to leave Italy in January, Chelsea have zeroed in on Zenit midfielder Paredes as the replacement for the 31-year-old former Blue.
Chelsea have continued to hold talks with Zenit over a fee and are said to have already tabled a bid, with an agreement expected to be thrashed out soon.
And according to Italian broadcaster Premium Sport, the club have already sorted out a contract with the midfielder and an agreement is in place between Paredes’ representatives and Chelsea.
Paredes has agreed on a four-and-a-half-year deal with Chelsea and will be earning wages to the tune of €5m per season if the transfer goes through.
Chelsea are now looking to finalise the agreement with Zenit in the coming days and hope to get the deal over the line.
And with the two clubs sharing a good relationship, Chelsea do not expect to face many hurdles to work out a deal for Paredes.
