Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal for promising Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu, according to the Daily Mail.

The Blues have tabled a £5 million offer for the 19-year-old and he is now on the verge of swapping the Nou Camp for Stamford Bridge.

Big things are expected of the defensive midfielder who broke into the first team last season and made two appearances.

However with the plethora of world class midfield talent already established in Pep Guardiola’s side a move appeals to the youngster who will no doubt find it difficult to gain regular playing time.

Andre Villas-Boas is keen to bring the Spaniard to London after trying to sign him when he was at Porto. The Chelsea boss is keen to add to his midfielder after losing knee injury victim Michael Essien for six months.

The Spanish giants are prepared to sell the midfielder although they want an option to buy him back after two seasons. This comes after the success of Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal who left the Catalan club without much ceremony in 2003.

It may prove to be a deal breaker  for Chelsea as they’d obviously like to keep the player if he does go on to be a success.