Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign St.Etienne defender Kurt Zouma. The 19 year old Frenchman who plays at centre back claims to have been contacted by Jose Mourinho about the possibility of coming to Stamford Bridge.
If Chelsea complete the signing of the French startlet it will be their second signing of this January transfer window after the arrival of Nemanja Matic from Benfica.
Kurt Zouma is valued at around £10 million
Zouma was an established centre half for the Ligue 1 outfit and they currently sit 4th in the table, it remains to be seen whether the club are willing to sell such a prized asset at a crucial time in the season, for the player a move to the Premier League could be too good to refuse.
He told L’Equipe on the Chelsea links: “A phone call from Mourinho? It is true, there was contact a month ago.
“At first I thought it was a joke. When a great man like Jose Mourinho contacts a small player like Kurt Zouma, that offers great pride.
“If I was told to join Chelsea, I would go immediately. It will be down to the coach, though, to make the call.”
If he does link up with the Blues he will be competing for two fiercely contested spots. Chelsea’s current central defensive partnership of Cahill and Terry have started the last three Premier League games together and have conceded just one goal in that period.
The other two central defenders in the squad include the Brazil international David Luiz and Serbian Branislav Ivanovic but both are regularly played out of position.
Luiz played in midfield in Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Hull and Ivanovic is regularly employed at right back, although he is an outstanding central defender as well.
Kurt Zouma hoping to require fitness level
It’s questionable as to what level of fitness Zouma has as he has been serving a ten match ban since November, after a challenge on Sochaux midfielder Thomas Geurbert, which resulted in a double leg break.
The ban has been served across all domestic competitions and was a serious blow to St.Etienne as he was in sparkling form up until that game and now it appears he may have played his last game in France.
