Valencia agree to sell Juan Mata to Chelsea
Mata has also been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Spanish club Valencia have said they have reached an agreement in principle to sell Juan Mata to Chelsea.
The deal is subject to a medical, with reports suggesting the 23-year-old could join for the Blues for £23.5m.
A statement on the Valencia website said: "Valencia has reached an agreement in principle with Chelsea for the transfer of the player Juan Mata."
After Chelsea's 2-1 win over West Brom, boss Andre Villas-Boas said: "He can add to any squad in the world."
Mata has been at Valencia since 2007 and as captain helped Spain win the Under-21 European Championship in the summer. He was also part of Spain's 2010 World Cup winning squad.
Villas-Boas has previously spoken of the need to recruit more midfielders and the club have also made bids for Tottenham's Luka Modric.
On Saturday after Chelsea's 2-1 win against West Brom Villa-Boas was questioned about Mata.
He refused to be drawn on whether any deal was close.
But he said: "He's a good player, a very good player.
"He's not our player but he's an interesting player.
"His curriculum speaks for itself. He's a player who scores and assists and he can add to any squad in the world."