LONDON – Chelsea have agreed a fee of £38m for the Porto striker Hulk and the deal is ready to be closed. The figure has been brokered by facilitators working on behalf on each club and, with the Brazil international’s personal terms not expected to be an obstacle, it merely remains for the directors on both sides to sign the relevant paperwork.The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, as ever, will reserve the right to renegotiate until the last minute yet there is a confidence, not least on Hulk’s part, that there will be no glitches, after what has been a lengthy process, and that he will get the move that he has craved, subject to a medical.Porto have been happy to push the line about Hulk’s release clause being €100m and although the Guardian has now learned that the figure is €60m [£48m], the Portuguese club have been forced to accept less, not least because only Chelsea have been willing to make a competitive offer. The release clause was never going to be binding. Porto had wanted no less than £40m but Chelsea have haggled them down.The fee, however, represents an eye-watering outlay and, on the back of the £32m deal that Chelsea have put into place for the Lille attacking midfielder Eden Hazard, it is a serious statement of intent from Abramovich, who still does not have a permanent manager.
