Monaco look poised to win the race to sign Geoffrey Kondogbia.
The France international impressed during his debut season in Spain for Sevilla last season, making 31 appearances in La Liga. Although he has started both games on the bench this term, he remains a prized asset for the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan outfit.
A number of clubs have been linked with the midfielder in recent weeks, including Arsenal and Juventus, but it appears as though he could be heading back to his homeland after reports suggested Monaco have agreed to pay his €20million release clause.
The Ligue 1 side are determined to become the dominant force in French football, and bankrolled by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, have already spent heavily since winning promotion to the top-flight under Claudio Ranieri last term.
The Italian coach has brought in Joao Moutinho, Jeremy Toulalan, James Rodriguez and, of course, Radamel Falcao for big money this summer, whilst Eric Abidal and Ricardo Carvalho have been added on free transfers, and now Kondogbia is set to follow.
It is believed the 20-year-old has agreed a five-year deal at the Stade Louis II, and the move will be made official on Thursday or Friday this week. This will represent an impressive rise for the former Lens youngster, who will now set his sights on adding to his single Les Bleus cap and forcing his way into Didier Deschamps’ World Cup plans.
Monaco, meanwhile, were held to a goalless draw by Toulouse at the weekend. Prior to this, they opened with a 2-0 win at Bordeaux, and followed this up with a 4-1 win against Montpellier. They currently stand second in the table after three rounds of fixtures, two points behind leaders Marseille who have a perfect record to date. The two teams meet at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday, which you can watch live on BT Sport.
