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Chelsea have signed 23 year old David Luiz from Benfica for a deal starting at £18M plus Nemanja Matic according to a whole host of sources including England's most widely read daily newspaper The Sun.
In a move that will have many Chelsea fans salivating (including many on this website!), the deal for Luiz could cost Chelsea another £5M in performance related payments.
It is a startling turnaround. Only a few days ago despite persistent offers from Chelsea, the deal looked to be off the table. The fact that the deal has been done for less than the £26M that was being quoted at one stage is a definite plus, though some will be saddened to see youngster Nemanja Matic leave the club.
The strong Matic only ever appeared for Chelsea's first team on a handful of occasions and looks to have the potential of a top player, though it appears the powers that be at Chelsea obviously doubt that, allowing him to leave in a part exchange deal.
It will be interesting to see just how highly Carlo Ancelotti rates David Luiz's talent. Will Luiz displace Alex as John Terry's default centre-half partner?