Transfer Rumours: Chelsea FC, Wolsburg Agree £12.5 Simon Kjaer Transfer?

I don't have any quotes from this, and the variety of sources that are reporting it could all just be stealing it from each other, so take this one with a pinch or two of salt, but several outlets are reporting that Chelsea are very close to signing Danish defender Simon Kjaer as a cheaper alternative to Benfica's Brazilian international David Luiz. Kjaer, who featured in the World Cup this summer and has been profiled on this site here, is currently playing for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga after a €12M move last summer from Serie A team Palermo.

Wolfsburg, at 14th in the table, haven't had quite the season they had expected and are looking to offload some of their pricier assets, and a 'German source' says that Chelsea have already agreed a £12.5M fee for Kjaer, who would come to the Bridge at half of David Luiz's asking price - and is two years younger. Chelsea's interest in Kjaer has been known for several months, and he could provide a much cheaper alternative to Luiz, who is believed to be Carlo Ancelotti's first choice in his bid to strengthen the centre of his rather injury-prone defence.

My initial impression is that if true, this is a very good thing. My number one priority would still be Luiz, but Kjaer's facing tougher competition and is still an excellent young defender. At the very least, this helps out with the Luiz negotiations and gives us a great backup plan should Chelsea prove unwilling to pay Benfica's £25M asking price. Good work by the Blues here.