Chelsea have agreed a fee in the region of £4.5m for Barcelona's Oriol Romeu.
The 19-year-old defensive midfielder has yet to pass a medical or agree personal terms with the London club, although Andre Villas-Boas is keen to secure the player following Michael Essien's recent injury.
"I don't want to speak too much about him because he is not our player," Villas-Boas told the official Chelsea website. "It is part of the squad in which we are struggling with numbers because of Michael Essien's injury and Oriol is a player with a bright future."
Romeu could find opportunities at Barcelona limited as he is behind the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the midfield pecking order.
He is currently in Colombia with his national side for the Under-20 World Cup.
