Sporting director confirms center back's transfer to Chelsea is nearly complete

On Monday, we heard the first Chelsea links to Nantes defender Papy Djilobodji. The Blues have been in talks with the Ligue 1 club for several weeks, however, according to reports in France (@Blueloireocean via Francois Piraux):

FC Nantes sporting director F.Kita : "#Djilobodji was on the Chelsea shopping list for many weeks. Big acceleration this last days." #CFC

— Francois Piraux (@F8Piraux) August 31, 2015

FC Nantes sporting director F.Kita : "The deal for #Djilobodji to Chelsea is almost completed. Official announcement soon." #CFC

— Francois Piraux (@F8Piraux) August 31, 2015

FC Nantes sporting director F.Kita : "It was a dream for #Djilobodji to play the Champion's League, now the dream comes true for him." #CFC

— Francois Piraux (@F8Piraux) August 31, 2015

It's good to hear that Chelsea had Djilobodji on the radar for a bit, even if he clearly wasn't the club's first choice at the position. We're also beginning to see reports suggesting that the deal could cost a bit more than initially reported, though whether that's all up front, or in future installments based on performance is not yet clear.

Regardless, it looking as if Chelsea will now have plenty of defensive depth, even if they didn't get their first choice.