Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella is reportedly on the brink of completing a move to Chelsea.
On Wednesday night, the Seagulls released a statement to insist that the transfer of their most prized asset to any club was not imminent.
However, less than 24 hours later, further reports emerged that Chelsea had successfully negotiated a fee with their Brighton counterparts.
The West Londoners are allegedly willing to pay a total of £62m to sign a player who only cost in the region of £15m just 12 months earlier.
According to the Daily Mail, a deal is likely to be announced in the coming hours with the Spaniard having undergone a medical.
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Once the formalities have been completed, confirmation will depend on whether Brighton have finalised terms for Levi Colwill to move in the opposite direction.
At one stage, it was suggested that the South-coast outfit would be signing the England Under-21 international, who is yet to make a senior appearance for Chelsea, on a permanent deal.
However, the 19-year-old is now only expected to move to the Amex Stadium on a season-long loan deal with Brighton possessing no option to buy.
Colwill still has three years remaining on his contract at his parent club, leaving Chelsea in no particular rush to part ways with a prospect who could challenge for a first-team role next season.
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Should both deals be confirmed on Friday, Cucurella will not come into contention for Chelsea's Premier League opener with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Nevertheless, speculation will persist over where he could feature in Thomas Tuchel's starting lineup with fellow left-sided player Ben Chilwell having recently returned to full fitness after a serious knee injury.
Kalidou Koulibaly had initially been expected to take over on the left-hand side of a back three, and Cucurella's arrival will leave at least one big-money player occupying a spot among the replacements.
Chelsea will partially offset the major financial outlay on Cucurella by allowing Marcos Alonso to depart the club before the start of September, with Barcelona known to be keen on the Spaniard.
Darren Plant
