Chelsea close in on £2.7m deal for Nantes defender Papy Djilobodji

Chelsea’s search for defensive reinforcements before Tuesday’s transfer deadline has prompted a move for the Nantes centre-half Papy Djilobodji, with the player set to sign a four-year contract for a cut-price £2.7m.
Djilobodji, a Senegal international, had entered the final 12 months of his deal and, having made clear his desire to depart this summer, has been training with the development squad at Nantes.

A bid of around £1.6m from Trabzonspor was rejected last week, with the 27-year-old having also attracted interest from Celta Vigo. Chelsea made known their interest over the weekend.

 While Djilobodji has impressed in Ligue 1, the transfer would still represent something of a surprise given the Premier League champions had been aiming considerably higher for much of the summer. Four bids for the Everton defender John Stones, the last totalling around £38m, had been rejected and, once that pursuit had run aground, inquiries had been lodged with Zenit St Petersburg for Ezequiel Garay and with Athletic Bilbao for Aymeric Laporte. Both deals would have been complicated, and expensive, to complete.