Chelsea agree January deal with £30million Brazil star from Shaktar Donetsk

Chelsea are close to signing Alex Teixeira from Shaktar Donetsk

 

CHELSEA have moved a step closer to the £30million January signing of Alex Teixeira after the Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder verbally agreed to their offer.

 

The Stamford Bridge club are now in talks with Shakhtar over the fee and with the player's representatives over a five-year deal.

Chelsea are pressing ahead with the move despite the departure of manager Jose Mourinho last week because they see Teixeira as the man who can provide much-needed firepower, even though the Brazil international is not an out-and-out striker.

 

Teixeira has scored 26 goals in 26 matches for the Ukrianian club this season and Chelsea, who have been tracking the 25-year-old all year, believe he can provide the spark that will ignite their season under Guus Hiddink.

The new interim manager took his first training session yesterday having held a team meeting to tell his players their targets this season are the Champions League, the FA Cup, and as high a league position as possible.

 

Shakhtar wanted to keep Teixeira for the rest of their domestic season, which restarts in March after the winter break, but the club's exit from the Champions League has opened the door for their prized asset, who has said he wants to play in England, to leave.

Chelsea have scored only 21 league goals this season, 16 fewer than leaders Leicester, with last season's top scorer Diego Costa netting only four.

Paris St Germain and Juventus have also been chasing the Brazilian, but Chelsea are firm favourites so secure a player who could join another former Shakhtar star, Willian, at Stamford Bridge.

 

Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin has apologised to Cesc Fabregas for naming him as the Chelsea star who "would rather lose than win" for Mourinho.

Radio pundit Nevin named Fabregas as the culprit after the claim was made on Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek show, and the Spaniard has reportedly threatened legal action.

Nevin said last night: "I absolutely wasn't having a go at Cesc, I was merely asking a question. The reporter told me it definitively was not Cesc who was the culprit. Nonetheless I apologise."