Brazilian defender David Luiz is on the verge of completing a record-breaking £40m move from Chelsea to Paris St-Germain. The Blues had already agreed a deal with PSG, and the 27-year-old was set for a medical with the Ligue 1 champions on Sunday after agreeing personal terms.
"Chelsea Football Club and Paris Saint-Germain have agreed terms for the transfer of David Luiz to the French club. The move is now subject to David Luiz agreeing personal terms with PSG and passing a medical examination," read a statement by Chelsea.
Luiz, who arrived at the west London club from Benfica for £23.5m plus Nemanja Matic in January 2011, was believed to have received offers from some major European clubs, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But it now looks like PSG are set to snap up the defender for a record-breaking £40m (according to the BBC), despite failing to adhere to UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
"We have reached an agreement on the conditions for a future transfer of the Brazilian international defender... To satisfy the desire of the player to prepare and play in the best possible conditions the World Cup in his country, the willingness of both clubs and David Luiz was to achieve a fast agreement, one between Paris St-Germain and Chelsea FC and the other between the Paris club and the player to formalise the transfer from the opening of the transfer window," PSG announced on their official website.
Luiz, who made 143 appearances for the Blues, also confirmed his exit by thanking the club and the fans on Twitter.
"Tks CFC for this time of great partnership. I'm thankful for all! It's a new challenge and together we ll go even further. Allez Paris!" the player tweeted.
The Brazilian's departure does not come as a major surprise as he has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge ever since the return of Jose Mourinho. Luiz has not been Mourinho's first choice central defender, with the Portuguese favouring the partnership of Gary Cahill and John Terry.
Chelsea, who sold Juan Mata to Manchester United for £37m in January, are also looking to adhere to FFP rules, so that they can avoid punishment, unlike Premier League champions Manchester City.
Luiz's sale will probably help Chelsea fund the purchase of Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, who has been strongly linked with a £32m move.
