Chelsea have been told by Marseille that they will have to pay £7million for Cesar Azpilicueta.
The club have made signing a new right-back their next priority as they close in on a £25m deal for Internacional midfielder Oscar, who is understood to have passed a medical.
Chelsea have been tracking Azpilicueta (above), who has arrived in London with Spain’s Olympic football team, for the past 12 months.
The 22-year-old’s contract expires in 2014 and Marseille are prepared to sell him to help boost their finances.
Sources in France suggest Chelsea are favourites for his signature, although his Olympic commitments could prove a stumbling block in completing any deal quickly.
It is the reason why Oscar’s transfer to Stamford Bridge, first revealed by Standard Sport last week, is only expected to be concluded after Brazil’s involvement in the tournament ends.
They, along with Spain, are favourites to reach the men’s final, which takes place at Wembley on August 11.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk manager Mircea Lucescu claims the club have turned down a £26.6m offer from Chelsea for Brazil star Willian. Chelsea are considering signing the 23-year-old once again because of their struggle to agree a fee with Porto for Brazil striker Hulk. However, Lucescu said: “I told Willian he can leave but only if the right offer is made. He’s a great player.
“Willian was the biggest investment Shakhtar have made in a young player, we have to respect that. He played only seven or eight games in Brazil.
“They [Chelsea] paid a lot of money for [Eden] Hazard but are not willing to pay for Willian, even though he’s better in my opinion.
“They offered 34 million euros [£26.6m] but we don’t think that’s his current value.”
Tottenham are also interested in Hulk, who was pictured meeting coach Andre Villas-Boas at Brazil’s team hotel in St Albans last night.
The Portuguese is a huge admirer of Hulk having worked with him at Porto during their treble-winning 2010-11 season, however it is unlikely Spurs could afford the £40m asking price or his wage demands of over £100,000 a week.
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One player who will definitely be at White Hart Lane next season is Rafael van der Vaart, who has been linked with a move to Germany. The Holland international said: “My place is at Spurs. I want to win the title with this club.”
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