Belgian Star Moving to England for £23m as Player is KEEN to Leave in January

The transfer window is truly underway as transfer rumours are emerging every hour. According to the latest reports, Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham are competing against each other for the signing of Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Axel Witsel.

The Belgian international seems set to leave the Russian League in January, and the Premier League clubs have emerged as favourites to sign him, according to Daily Mail.

The report claims that Serie A giants AC Milan are also interested in the player, but he prefers a move to England. The Premier League champions reportedly placed a £23million bid for the player in the summer transfer window, but a move couldn’t materialize.

The 26-year old wants to move to a club with Champions League football, and this could prove a hindrance in the move to Chelsea as the Blues are currently placed 14th in Premier League, and are more than likely will miss out on Champions League next season.

Spurs, on the other hand, are placed fourth in the league and are in a much better position to lure the player on the promise of Champions League football.

Zenit paid £30m to sign the player on a five-year contract from the Portuguese club Benfica in 2012 and would like to recuperate as much as possible of the amount they paid.
Witsel won the Russian Premier League with his with Zenit last season and also helped them finished at the top of their Champions’ League group this season. The Belgian international played his last professional game on December 3 as the Russian league is currently on a three-month long winter break.

If he moved clubs in the January transfer window, he wouldn’t be available to Zenit for the Champions League encounter against his former club Benfica in February.