Chelsea have reportedly struck a deal with the Argentine but are yet to receive a response for their bid from the Russian side for the transfer fee.
If the latest reports by The Sun are to believed, the Blues seemed to have found the perfect replacement for the ageing Cesc Fabregas in the 24-year-old midfielder from Zenit. The Argentine has agreed for a £4 million-a-year contract with the English team but haven’t yet received a green light from Zenit Saint Petersburg for their £26.5 million bid.
The midfielder would come in as a cover for Jorginho at Stamford Bridge after Fabregas departed to AS Monaco earlier this month. Maurizio Sarri was initially looking at Nicolo Barrella from Cagliari to don Fabregas’ boots but were reportedly shunned numerous times. The youngster didn’t want to leave the Italian side due to personal reasons and would like to stay his contract there.
Rumors say that the Russian side won’t budge for any price below £35 million. It is expected that Marina Granovskaia, Chelsea director would be disappointed by Zenit’s possible reply as their offer was way low.
The defensive midfielder joined Zenit from AS Roma during the summer transfer window for €23 million. He garnered the attention of Premier League heavyweights like Arsenal and Liverpool back then, who had lost their target to Zenit last year.
His contract with the Russian side is expected to run unto 2021. His debut season in the Russian Premier League was a great run with 3 goals and 2 assists from 15 outings this year.
Naturally, the youngster is a defensive midfielder, but is versatile enough to adapt to central and attacking midfield. He was predominantly playing central midfield for Zenit this season and has flourished in this position.
If things go well, we could see the player making his Premier League debut soon with the Blues. His contract would fetch him £80,000-a-week.
Without Fabregas, Sarri needs to re-explore his playmaker options. He would need a player if in-case Jorginho goes down. The Italian would be diving into the transfer market this winter for a suitable replacement. Right now, Paredes is his brightest option to set up his ingenious midfield plans.
