Michy Batshuayi looks set to sign for Chelsea in a €40m deal, with Belgium happy to give him special dispensation to complete the deal, Goal understands.
Chelsea staff have flown out to Bordeaux and completed a provisional medical with the 22-year-old amid interest from other clubs including Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Crystal Palace.
Batshuayi will be offered a five-year deal and will miss a scheduled appearance in a Belgium press conference to meet Blues officials. The striker has also started following a number of Chelsea related accounts on social media.
Marseille are under financial pressure to sell their best players and their club president, Vincent Labrun, accepted Chelsea's bid, as well as an offer from Crystal Palace a few days earlier.
Goal understands that Batshuayi, who has a great affinity to Marseille, rejected a move to Palace and also West Ham, and only wanted a move to a Champions League club. However, he was happy to make an exception for Chelsea.
Belgian club Standard Liege are set to recieve 35% of the fee after agreeing a clause but he will become the most expensive sale in Marseille’s history - beating the previous record of Didier Drogba to Chelsea in 2004 for £24m.
Chelsea will complete the rest of his medical at their Cobham training ground after Euro 2016 as Batshuayi aims to line up alongside Chelsea Belgians Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois.
Alexandre Pato and Radamel Falcao have already left London while Loic Remy looks likely to follow. The Blues will also attempt to sign another striker this summer as they target Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata.
- Goal