Everton ace to become Chelsea's first winter signing?

Premier League champions Chelsea are reportedly on the cusp of finalising a deal for England international and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley.

The 24-year-old was close to joining the west London giants in the summer, but he opted to snub their advances as he was still recovering from a hamstring problem.

According to The Telegraph, the Blues are hoping to have a deal wrapped up in the next 24 hours, and they are prepared to offer a fee of around £15m for Barkley, which is less than half of his valuation in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have also expressed a keen interest in the Toffees graduate, but they look set to miss out on the player's signature as they were hoping to sign him on a Bosman at the end of the season.

Toffees boss Sam Allardyce has previously given up on keeping hold of Barkley, who has yet to earn a single minute of competitive action during the ongoing campaign.