Chelsea and Rayo Vallecano have reached an agreement this evening for fullback Pep Chavarria.
Striver.Football reported earlier that Chelsea were targeting the fullback, with the important caveat being that the Spaniard had been specifically identified by new boss Xabi Alonso.
Now, an agreement is in place for a fee understood to be in the region of £18 million, comprising a base fee of £16.2 million, plus add-ons.
Chavarria is expected to undergo a medical in the coming days, ahead of training at Cobham for the first time next week.
He is expected to provide fullback competition on the left flank for Jorrel Hato, who has had some up and down games so far in pre season.
One of the main reasons that Alonso wanted Chavarria, and has been hoping the club got the deal over the line, even during a tough negotiation where goalposts were moved several times on the Vallecano end, is because of his ability to hold width and attack down the left hand side.
There is likely to be a scenario during matches where Chavarria holds the width on the left, allowing Morgan Rogers to drift into an inside-left No.10 role.
While only recording one goal and two assists in thirty-three La Liga matches last season, Chavarria does offer the pace and technical ability, plus tenacity, to be an all round package.
Last season, Chavarria won 127 ground duels, which would rank among the highest duel success rates for left-backs in the Premier League.
The Blues are aiming to complete more outgoings next, before seeing what else could be available on the market, depending on those outgoings.
