Chelsea are close to completing a £12 million move for St Etienne defender Kurt Zouma, according to the BBC. The Blues have been linked with the 19-year-old for much of the January transfer window and manager Jose Mourinho views him as one of Europe's brightest young prospects. However, the Portuguese boss intends to loan the France U-21 international straight back to St Etienne for the rest of the season so he can continue to develop and play regular football. The French club's president Roland Romeyer had previously stated Zouma would not move in the winter window, but he will become Mourinho's third signing of the month. The 'Special One' has also re-signed midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica and landed FC Basel's winger Mohamed Salah, despite strong interest from Liverpool. The Blues boss had earlier claimed there would be no more transfer activity from his side following Salah's arrival, though he appears to have changed his mind. Zouma, who plays centre-half, could be viewed as the ideal long-term replacement for the veteran John Terry, who will turn 34 at the end of the year and is nearing the end of his career. France manager Didier Deschamps stated in an interview in April 2013 that he sees Zouma as a potential future captain of the French national side.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
