Chelsea Football Club have agreed a deal with St Etienne to sign defender Kurt Zouma for a transfer fee of £12million.

The transfer will be officially announced tomorrow, but in the meantime Zouma has already had his photo taken with a Chelsea shirt (see above). The 19-year old Ligue Un defender plays as a centre back.

It’s expected that after the Zouma deal goes through on Friday, he’ll be immediately loaned back to St Etienne for the remainder of the season — much like new Chelsea signing Bertrand Traore, who was signed on January 1 and immediately loaned to Vitesse Arnhem.

Since 2011, Zouma has made 51 league appearances for Saint Etienne and has scored 4 goals. He has played at the youth level for France. Didier Deschamps, France manager, stated in an interview in April 2013 that he sees Zouma as a potential future captain of the French national side.

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