Chelsea Transfer News: Juan Cuadrado Deal Nears Amid Mohamed Salah Exit Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a £26.8 million deal for Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, reported by Darren Lewis of the Mirror.

The player's buyout clause must be met if he's to move, according to the aforementioned article. However, Jose Mourinho will allegedly have to cash in on Mohamed Salah or Andre Schurrle if the Blues are to satisfy UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.

It is Salah who remains the most likely candidate to depart, as tweeted by Matt Hughes of The Times:

Sky Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio reports "important progress has been made" ahead of the creative Egyptian's possible move to Roma. It is likely this transfer will speed up alongside Chelsea's progress with Cuadrado, who appears to be moving ever closer to a Premier League switch after failing to secure a big-money transfer during the summer.

Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella recently indicated his player isn't leaving, though, reported by ESPN: "As far as I know there is no possibility for him to leave Fiorentina. He isn't really concerned by all this talk. Sometimes these situations are taken all out of proportion."

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Even so, Di Marzio believes the Colombian's agent has touched down in England to talk business:

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There could be updates soon now that Cuadrado's agent, Alessandro Lucci, went to London after completing (Luis) Muriel's move to Sampdoria. Lucci will try to understand if there are the conditions to bring Cuadrado to Chelsea during the January transfer window. Moving to London is a fascinating option, but the negotiation has also just begun.

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Cuadrado would be an extremely useful addition to Mourinho's squad. His versatility makes him an attractive prospect; he can play on either wing, through the centre or as a full-back. This makes the 26-year-old something of a luxury utility man and potential threat to Willian in the Blues first team.

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Casual onlookers will likely remember Cuadrado's swash-buckling displays at the 2014 World Cup, in which he helped thrust Colombia to the quarter-finals. The 26-year-old possesses an electric turn of pace and has scored six goals in 22 matches this season, reported by WhoScored.com, who highlight he has filled five different positions for Fiorentina since August.

Mourinho is the type of manager who could develop Cuadrado's game. The Portuguese manager instills discipline into his squad and expects everyone to contribute across all phases of play. Eden Hazard's increasing work rate, Diego Costa's towering defensive headers from corners and Willian's non-stop running are testimony of a boss who won't stand for slackers.

Salah and Schurrle have failed to show they fit in with this methodology. In October, Mourinho suggested "it is easy to choose my team" after watching both players fail to inspire during the Capital One Cup victory over Shrewsbury, reported by Laurie Whitwhell of the Daily Mail.

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Schurrle has only completed 90 minutes once since, while Salah has played a combined total of 90 minutes in the proceeding three months, per WhoScored. Cuadrado's arrival would be another example of Mourinho adding to his squad's resiliency without compromising on quality, as we saw with Juan Mata's exit and Nemanja Matic's arrival last January.

B/R UK's Garry Hayes recently discussed a number of potential options for the club:

The schedule is about to get majorly busy for a Blues side who are currently battling across four competitions. Cuadrado's ability to slot in anywhere could offer respite to a number of players as Chelsea gear up for the business end of the season.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Mourinho's cunning make all the difference this campaign as he goes in search of his first trophy since returning to Stamford Bridge last summer.