Chelsea are on the verge of completing the signing of Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano, as new boss Xabi Alonso continues to overhaul his squad. The Spanish left-back is expected to travel to the UK on Friday to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.
Deal agreed after lengthy negotiations
The Blues have been in talks with the LaLiga club since the end of June, with the two sides initially struggling to agree a fee. Chavarria has a release clause worth £42.5m, but Chelsea have struck a deal worth an initial £16.2m plus £1.7m in add-ons.
The 28-year-old helped Vallecano reach the Conference League final last season, where they lost to Crystal Palace in Leipzig in May. He will fill the void left by Marc Cucurella, who departed for Real Madrid in a surprise £51.7m move earlier this summer.
Competition for places
Chavarria will compete with Jorrel Hato for the left-back spot, while Marco Palestra has already been signed for £47m from Atalanta to bolster the right side. Palestra has impressed on the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
Chavarria will be Chelsea's 11th new arrival this summer, following deals for Palestra, Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Harrison Bettoni, Valentin Barco, Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha and Dastan Satpayev.
Outgoings expected
A number of players are expected to leave before the September 1 deadline. Trevoh Chalobah has been sold to Como, with Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile also linked with exits. Andrey Santos, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrique George have already departed.
Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu face uncertain futures, while goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is poised to join Strasbourg. Enzo Fernandez continues to be linked with Real Madrid, and several youngsters could leave on loan, including Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, who is in talks over a move to Portsmouth.
