Chelsea starlet Bertrand Traore closing in on £16.6m switch to Ligue 1 giants Lyon as they look for Alexandre Lacazette replacement
Traore ready to quit Stamford Bridge for Lyon as Chelsea boost their spending power by clearing the decks of fringe players
CHELSEA starlet Bertrand Traore is close to agreeing a £16.6million move to French club Lyon.
Traore is now finalising personal terms ahead of a medical before making a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old has failed to establish himself as a regular in the first team squad at Chelsea and spent last season on loan with Ajax.
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And the Blues have decided to cash in on the Burkina-Faso star as they continue to clear their decks of fringe players unlikely to figure in Antonio Conte's squad.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said: "We're fine tuning the talks.
"It's a very ambitious operation, one that fits with what we had said.
"I hope to be able to conclude the deal in the next ten days, if possible for the end of the week."
Lyon saw enough of Traore playing for Ajax to convince them to pay big money for him as they look to plan for life without star striker Alexandre Lacazette.
The French international is expected to quit the club this summer amid interest from a number of clubs across Europe.
Lacazette had been set to join Atletico Madrid in a deal worth around £50m, it it fell through when the Spanish side were hit with a transfer ban.
Arsenal are now at the head of a the race for his signature as Arsene Wenger looks to add goalscoring power to his squad next season.
The Gunners have been in the market for French starlet Kylian Mbappe, telling Monaco they would pay more than £100m for the teenager.
But a deal for Lacazette is more within reach, providing they can convince him to move to the Emirates without the lure of Champions League football next season.
Chelsea know off-loading some of their fringe players is bringing in extra money to boost their spending power in the market this summer.
Dominic Solanke left Stamford Bridge for Liverpool after his contract ran down, and the Blues can expect a compensation package of around £5m for the attacker.
The Premier League winners can also expect a £3m bonus when Mohamed Salah completes his £39m move from Roma to Anfield as part of a sell-on clause.