Paris Saint-Germain to sign Chelsea target in £34.9m deal

Paris Saint-Germain have won the race for Zenit midfielder Leandro Paredes after agreeing a fee in the region of €40m (£34.9m) with the Russian giants, claims The Daily Telegraph.

Paredes has emerged as a sought after transfer target this month between Chelsea and PSG, as both European giants look to bolster their midfield options.

Chelsea were expected to sign Paredes at the start of the month after selling Cesc Fabregas to Monaco and even agreed a deal in principle with Zenit.

However, it has now emerged that Chelsea’s hesitation has come at the ultimate cost to Maurizio Sarri’s side, as Paredes is now PSG-bound.

Thomas Tuchel has been deserpate to sign a new central midfielder all month and their search has only intensified in the wake of Marco Verratti’s ankle injury sustained at the weekend.

With the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash with Manchester United on the horizon, it’s crucial that PSG sign a new midfielder before next week’s transfer deadline.

Only Hordur Magnusson (7.8) averages more long balls per game in the Russian Premier League than Paredes (7.6) of all outfielders this season.