Chelsea line up £15m move for Brazilian defensive midfielder

Chelsea are reportedly lining up a £15 million move for Santos midfielder Thiago Maia, according to the Mirror.

The 19-year-old, who is currently playing for Brazil at the 2016 Olympic Games in his home nation, has anchored Santos’ midfield for the past two seasons – making 69 appearances and scoring two goals – and has impressed with his performances in the middle of the park.

The player’s agent is Kia Joorabchian, who Blues owner Roman Abramovich is understood to have a close working relationship with, and he is due a 30 percent cut of the final transfer fee for the defensive midfielder, who has yet to make an appearance at senior level for his country.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said the club’s transfer business was going to step up and the Italian is still keen on completing deals for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, before the Premier League campaign starts next Saturday.