Blues nearing Ramires deal

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Benfica's Brazil midfielder Ramires.

The Barclays Premier League champions expect to tie up a deal for the 23-year-old before the end of the week.

The deal for Ramires is believed to involve a £17million fee, and the player is due to undergo a medical at Chelsea in the coming days. He would be the second addition to Carlo Ancelotti's squad following the arrival of Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool.

Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira raised concerns about the prospects of the deal going through when he said: "Ramires staying at Benfica does not depend solely on us."

But it appears any fears of the deal hitting a stumbling block over third-party ownership are unfounded.

Kia Joorabchian, the football businessman who brought Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to the Premier League, does not own any direct stake in Ramires.

Joorabchian helped to fund Benfica's purchase of the hard-working Brazilian from Cruzeiro for around £6million last summer.

Like any bank loan, Joorabchian would expect to be repaid when the deal goes through with Chelsea but he has no direct input into the arrangement.

Ancelotti targeted Ramires and Benayoun after releasing midfielders Joe Cole, who replaced the Israeli at Liverpool, and Michael Ballack.