Chelsea accept stunning £60m bid for midfielder: He's told team-mates he's leaving

Posted Wednesday, December 14, 2016 by Express.co.uk

Chelsea accept stunning £60m bid for midfielder: He's told team-mates he's leaving
Chelsea have accepted a £60m bid for Oscar

CHELSEA have accepted an incredible £60million bid for Oscar - and the midfielder has reportedly told team-mates he's off to China.

Oscar is set to team up with former Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas at Shanghai SIPG in January.

The 25-year-old has played just 456 minutes of Premier League action this season - making five starts - as Antonio Conte's side have flown to the top of the Premier League.

Oscar hasn't started a match since the home defeat to Liverpool in the middle of September, other than the 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the EFL Cup.

Oscar joined Chelsea from Brazilian side Internacional in 2012 for close to £20m and will become the most expensive player to depart Stamford Bridge - trumping the £50m David Luiz went to Paris Saint-Germain for in 2014.

Conte is expected to add to his side in January with a defender and midfielder his priority despite going on a nine game winning run.

He will be given the opportunity to reinvest the £60m they take for Oscar and has been linked with moves for Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozovic, Roma's Radja Nainggolan and AC Milan's Giacomo Bonaventura.

However with Oscar's move all but rubber-stamped it is likely Cesc Fabregas will be kept until at least the end of the season.

Fabregas has struggled to be a regular fixture in Conte's starting line up but has made vital contributions including the assist for Diego Costa's equaliser against Man City and the winner against West Brom on Sunday.

Teams in Italy are monitoring Fabregas' situation but Conte has insisted he remains part of his plans.

"In football it is difficult to guarantee something, but in my opinion Cesc is an important player for us," Conte said on Monday.

"He played a key match against City, in the last game he came on very well during the game, tomorrow I haven't decided the starting eleven but Cesc is always a good choice for me."