Oriol Romeu to sign for Chelsea

Barcelona's young midfield dynamo Oriol Romeu will complete a move to Chelsea on Monday, putting pen to paper on a five year contract with the Blues in a deal worth approximately £6m for Barca.

Romeu would be new boss Andre Villas-Boas' first notable signing this summer, and possibly a quick replacement for Michael Essien who suffered a serious knee injury during pre-season that looks likely to keep him out of action for some time.

Romeu has only recently made his first appearance for the Barcelona team back in May, and impressed sufficiently to be included in Pep Guardiola's plans for the new season.

However, with Barcelona looking to find cash to finance their move for Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas, Romeu will head for the exit. On Friday, Barcelona also sold another star youngster, Bojan Krkic, to Roma in a deal worth around £12m.

Romeu will sign a contract at Stamford Bridge worth around £45,000 per week.