Chelsea have reportedly agreed a deal to sign PSV Eindhoven attacker Noni Madueke in a move worth £29m.
The Blues have stepped up their interest in the 20-year-old in the past couple of weeks as Graham Potter seeks more additions to his forward line for the second half of the season.
Chelsea have already paid £88.5m to bring Mykhaylo Mudryk to the club from Shakhtar Donetsk, as well as signing Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix on loan and poaching David Datro Fofana from Molde.
Benoit Badiashile and Andrey Santos have also arrived during a hectic January window for the West London club, but their winter business is far from done.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Chelsea had tabled a bid of £26.6m for the signature of PSV's Madueke, although that offer was swiftly turned down by the Dutch giants.
Now, Sky Sports News claims that Potter's side have struck an agreement with Ruud van Nistelrooy's team over a £29m deal, and Madueke is preparing for his imminent return to England.
PSV have already waved goodbye to Cody Gakpo, who joined Liverpool in a £37m move at the start of the window, and Van Nistelrooy was reluctant to lose a second attacker this month.
However, the report adds that Chelsea were "very insistent" on getting a deal done, despite questions over how the Blues will comply with Financial Fair Play as they prepare to break the £190m spending mark this month.
Madueke was a product of Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace's youth academies, but he left England in 2018 without making his senior debut to join the setup at PSV.
While in the Eredivisie, the England Under-21 international has established a reputation as one of the highest-rated youngsters in Europe with 20 goals and 14 assists from 80 games in all competitions.
Madueke came up with nine goals and six assists in 35 matches for PSV in the 2021-22 campaign, helping the club to glory in the KNVB-Beker and Dutch Super Cup.
The Englishman struggled with muscular problems throughout last season, though, and he has also been restricted to just nine appearances and two goals this season due to an ankle injury.
Madueke has represented England from Under-15 to Under-21 level and has made four appearances for the latter, although he is still waiting for his first direct goal contribution.
Chelsea are next in Premier League action away to Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime, but Madueke is highly unlikely to be registered in time to make his debut for the Blues at Anfield.
Instead, the attacker could feature in Chelsea's West London derby at home to Fulham on February 3, as Potter's side aim to improve on their 10th-placed standing in the Premier League table. body check tags ::
