Chelsea are in pole position to sign Belgium star Axel Witsel, The Sun has revealed.
The Blues are expected to sign the Belgium international in order to replace Nemanja Matic who is close to joining Juventus in Italy.
Manager Antonio Conte's main target was Roma's Radja Nainggolan but having failed to sign the 28-year-old he shifted his focus to the Zenit St Petersburg man.
The midfielder has recently confirmed that he wants to leave the Russian giants.
"I want to leave Zenit. My future may be in Italy or England," he said.
"It does not matter if I go to Serie A or the Premier League, if they're a great club."
Everton and Napoli have also been linked with a possible move for Witsel but it seems Chelsea are now strong favourites to secure his services ahead of next season.
