Chelsea are close to securing a deal for St Etienne starlet Kurt Zouma, according to the Mail Online.

The 19 year old centre-back has been linked with a move to the Premier League throughout the winter transfer window, with Manchester United also said to be interested though Jose Mourinho appears to have won the race to secure his services.

The France U21 international is set to eventually arrive at Stamford Bridge on a long term deal for a fee believed to be in the region of around £12.5m, but is likely to spend the rest of this campaign back on loan with St Etienne.

Despite his young age, Zouma has made seventy-one first team appearances for the Ligue 1 side in all competitions, scoring six goals while he has been called up to France’s senior team, but is yet to make his debut.

Meanwhile, Gary Cahill has insisted that the Blues will not sit back when they travel to Premier League leaders Manchester City on Monday evening.

Jose Mourinho’s men currently sit in third place on fifty points, but can move level with City if they become the first team to win in the league at Eastlands this season.