OUTWITTED Chelsea are in pole position to sign Belgium star Axel Witsel as Blues all but agree terms with Everton target’s agents
Antonio Conte desperate to land midfield ace but his arrival could spell the end of Nemanja Matic's Stamford Bridge career
Posted Wednesday, July 06, 2016 by Thesun.co.uk
CHELSEA are trying to hijack Everton's move for £28million Axel Witsel.
SunSport understands the Blues have leapfrogged the Toffees, Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli in the race for the Belgium star.
The Londoners have all but agreed terms with Witsel's agents and now have to agree a fee with Zenit St Petersburg.
Everton thought they had sealed the deal before new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte weighed in — and midfield powerhouse Witsel is very keen on a Stamford Bridge switch.
Witsel, 27, joined Russians Zenit for £32m four years ago from Benfica.
The Russians would normally expect at least £50m for a player of his calibre but he has just 12 months left on his deal.
He is on £80,000-a-week at Zenit and he can expect a huge pay rise for a switch to the Premier League.
If he comes to Chelsea then Nemanja Matic, 27, could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.
The Serbian star had a torrid season and lost the faith of both Jose Mourinho and his replacement Guus Hiddink.
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