Chelsea close to £42.5m deal for Napoli star

Reports in Italy claim a £42.5m deal to bring Napoli star Edinson Cavani to Chelsea this summer has been agreed between the two clubs, according to talkSPORT.


The 26-year-old striker was identified as Chelsea's main transfer target should they miss out on first-choice Radamel Falcao.
And with the Colombian international looking set for Monaco, Italian TV station Mediaset report that Cavani has agreed a move to Stamford Bridge.
The TV report claims the base transfer fee is set at £42.5m, a figure which could rise based on a series of performance related bonuses. The agreement will be finalised at the end of the season.
Cavani is set to earn around £145,000-a-week at Chelsea, making him one of the club's top earners.
Falcao has been a long-term target for Chelsea, and the Blues were linked with a January bid for the Atletico Madrid striker, as well as a summer move.
But newly promoted Monaco seem to have beaten Chelsea to the punch, with Falcao reportedly ready to seal a move to the French club.
Cavani is regarded as one of Europe's top strikers, and has been linked with Manchester City and Paris St Germain among others.
The former-Palermo striker has enjoyed a remarkable goalscoring record since swapping Sicily for Napoli, hitting 77 league goals in 103 games for the Naples-based club.
Chelsea have all but secured Champions League qualification for next season - an important achievement considering their transfer ambitions this summer - and face Benfica in the Europa League final on Wednesday.