Chelsea are on the cusp of signing Sporting CP midfielder Dario Essugo, reports have suggested.

Essugo, 19, has impressed on loan in La Liga with Las Palmas this season and saw his name mentioned as a possible target for Chelsea late in the transfer window when the Blues started to chase a midfielder.

O Jogo claimed Chelsea had wrapped up a deal for Essugo hours before the transfer deadline, only for things to go quiet. Chelsea then confirmed the arrival of another 19-year-old, Mathis Amougou from Saint-Etienne, for €15m (£12.5m).

That appeared to be the end of the links to Essugo but, after the window closed, A BOLA echoed the claims that Chelsea had already completed the Sporting midfielder’s signing. It is stressed that, while the deal will only go through at the end of the season, the Blues have already paid €25m (£20.9m) to guarantee his arrival in the summer.

Relevo would later confirm that Chelsea are “in contact” over Essugo, who has been linked to West Ham United and Borussia Dortmund by reports elsewhere.

Chelsea’s plan for Amougou is believed to be a loan to Strasbourg next season, perhaps making space for Essugo to join the squad, although Brazil international Andrey Santos is expected to be given a significant role under Enzo Maresca next year after dazzling on his own temporary spell with the French side.

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