Valencia & Chelsea agree Mata fee

Spanish club Valencia say they have reached an "agreement in principle" to sell midfielder Juan Mata to Chelsea.

Juan Mata is on the verge of joining Chelsea from Valencia for a fee of €27m (£23.5m). Mata spoke to André Villas-Boas during the day and the Chelsea manager explained the role he has in mind for the attacking midfielder. Lawyers are finalising details on the deal, which is expected to be definitively closed on Saturday. The Chelsea manager had admitted this week: "We might just add a number in midfield."

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME

Mata had already turned down the opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur at the end of July. Tottenham sought to take advantage of a clause in Mata's contract that allowed him to leave the club before 31 July for a set fee of €25m: had Valencia unilaterally blocked a move at that stage, they would have been forced to increase Mata's salary. The player, though, did not want to move to Spurs.

And as for Arsenal .... always wait until the deal is done before posting up a Youtube video so you don't end up looking stupid !