Monaco defender Axel Disasi has reportedly touched down in England to undergo his medical as a new Chelsea player.
The Blues are understood to have agreed a £38.6m deal to sign the France international, who has gone from strength to strength in a Monaco shirt over the past three years.
Disasi will reinforce the Chelsea backline after Mauricio Pochettino lost Wesley Fofana to a devastating ACL injury - the latest in a long line of setbacks for the Frenchman.
With the trio of Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta and Ethan Ampadu also leaving on permanent deals, Chelsea quickly turned their attention to finding a new right-sided centre-back after Fofana's operation.
Manchester United and Newcastle United were initially thought to be engaging in a two-horse chase for Disasi, but Chelsea moved quickly to agree a fee with Monaco, who only have the 25-year-old under contract until 2025.
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According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Disasi has now arrived in London to complete his medical tests, and the former Reims man will sign a five-year deal at Chelsea until 2028.
Romano adds that Chelsea and Monaco have already finalised the paperwork, and it is only a matter of time before Disasi is officially unveiled as the Blues' latest signing.
The 6ft 3in defender - who can also play as a right-back - made his senior breakthrough with Reims before earning a €13m (£11.2m) move to Monaco in 2020, and he immediately became a regular under Niko Kovac.
Disasi remained a crucial part of the Monegasques team under Philippe Clement and has now represented Monaco on 129 occasions in all tournaments, scoring 12 goals and setting up four more.
An eye-catching 2022-23 campaign saw Disasi come up with six goals and four assists in 49 games, and he wore the captain's armband for Monaco in 10 Ligue 1 contests.
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The France international - who made three appearances at the 2022 World Cup - will follow former Monaco teammate Benoit Badiashile to Stamford Bridge, while Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah are also at Pochettino's disposal.
Colwill is now believed to have agreed a new six-year deal with the Blues after his breakthrough season with Brighton & Hove Albion, but the arrival of Disasi has plunged Chalobah's future into fresh doubt.
The 24-year-old is now alleged to be seeking a permanent exit from Chelsea in search of regular game time, but the Blues are after a sizeable fee of £45m to let their academy product leave.
As well as Disasi, Chelsea are also said to have agreed a £23.2m fee for 19-year-old Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, who is expected to be loaned out to sister club Strasbourg next season.
Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Diego Moreira and Angelo Gabriel have already arrived in West London this summer, although Pochettino has confirmed that he would not be against another striker signing.
Ben Knapton
