Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Agree to Deal for Basel Star Mohamed Salah

After working toward a transfer for some time, Chelsea have finally finalized a deal to bring Mohamed Salah to Stamford Bridge.   

The club's official website announced the news:

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Chelsea Football Club can confirm an agreement has been reached with FC Basel for the transfer of their 21-year-old attacking midfielder Mohamed Salah.

The move is subject to the Egyptian international agreeing personal terms and completing a medical examination.

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Tom Doyle of Goal.com provided a synopsis of Jose Mourinho discussing Salah on Jan. 26, "Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that the Blues are to sign Mohamed Salah from Basel."

The young midfielder made 18 appearances (12 starts) for FC Basel in Switzerland's Super League. In that time, he scored four goals and was a big reason why the squad currently sits in first place in the table.

However, it is Salah's Champions League performance that had Chelsea interested. The Egyptian scored the only goal in Basel's 1-0 victory over the Blues on Nov. 26, and they saw firsthand how good he can be.

WhoScored.com points out this has been a common occurrence:

It is important for the club to note they saw him at his best, but the fact remains that Salah is a skillful player in almost any match. As a result, Liverpool also had plenty of interest during the winter transfer window, according to Jamie Sanderson of Metro.

Still, Chelsea were able to secure the transfer over their English Premier League rivals.

The "Egyptian Messi" could possibly slide into the role vacated by Juan Mata, who was recently sold to Manchester United, per BBC Sport. Although he might not get first-team starts right away, Salah can play on the right side of the midfield and do a great job scoring and creating for others.

This deal will not only give Chelsea more depth as they push for a league title, but it will also give them a possible future star who can be great for years to come. 

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