Chelsea are set to beat Newcastle to the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo with negotiations at ‘the final stages’.
Adarabioyo is available as a free agent after informing Fulham that he will not extend his contract at Craven Cottage and is heading towards a free transfer move to the club’s West London neighbours.
Newcastle had been pushing to agree a deal for the centre-back and are understood to have offered Adarabioyo a ‘very competitive’ contract, but Chelsea have now emerged as frontrunners to land the 26-year-old.
Chelsea are searching for a new centre-back following Thiago Silva’s departure and Adarabioyo is a cost-efficient addition as the Blues look to remain compliant with the Premier League’s financial rules.
The West Londoners are also expected to sanction the sale of at least one homegrown player before June 30 to balance the books, with Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah linked with leaving the club.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Adarabioyo is set to become the first signing under new head coach Enzo Maresca, who has agreed to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are ‘cautious’ until a deal is completed but are now ‘clear favourites’ to sign Adarabioyo ahead of Newcastle. AC Milan, Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester United had also been linked with Adarabioyo, who is keen to move to a higher-profile club in order to boost his international ambitions.
The defender has represented England at youth level, though is also eligible for Nigeria.
