CHELSEA CLOSING IN ON £12.5m DEFENDER ZOUMA
JOSE MOURINHO expects to complete his fourth acquisition of the transfer window with Kurt Zouma set to sign from St-Etienne. Chelsea have agreed a fee in the region of £12.5million for the 19-year-old centre half, who will stay in France for the rest of the season. Zouma has been closely monitored by several Barclays Premier League clubs despite being banned for 10 games in November for a tackle which left Thomas Guerbert of Sochaux with a broken leg and dislocated ankle. Mourinho made a personal call to the teenager to convince him to come to London. Chelsea improved their original offer of £10m to clinch a deal, flush with the proceeds from the sales of Juan Mata and Kevin de Bruyne. The year started with Mourinho insisting he could not foresee any transfers in or out of Stamford Bridge during the January window but he has already signed winger Mohamed Salah, plus midfielders Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore. Zouma’s imminent arrival will raise questions over the futures of established central defenders David Luiz and John Terry. Mourinho has admitted he would like to keep Terry but fears he could lose his captain because of the strict club policy to offer contract extensions of only a year to all players over 30. Terry, who is already free to talk to clubs outside England, is expected to have far more lucrative and longer offers on the table than the one from Stamford Bridge. Luiz has been unable to force his way into Mourinho’s preferred back four and is in demand from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Barcelona and Bayern Munich have long-standing interest in the Brazilian.