Reports: Chelsea agree a £7.5million transfer fee for forward Andrej Kramaric

Andrej Kramaric in action for Rijeka in the Europa League

Croatian international forward Andrej Kramaric is set to become Premier League leader Chelsea’s first signing of the January transfer window after the Londoners agreed to a £7.5million transfer, according to reports.

Jose Mourinho is set to start January shopping early for the Londoners this year by roping in the promising youngster from Croatian club HNK Rijeka. The free scoring forward has caught the eyes of many a scout-turned admirers after having scored 21 goals for his current club in just 18 league games.

The report suggests that a host of Premier League club including Tottenham and Leicester City also had a keen eye on the 23-year old, but Chelsea’s approach with a £7.5million deal seems to have catapulted them into pole position to recruit the striker.

The striker has already represented Croatia at every youth level and made his debut for Dinamo Zagreb's senior team in 2009, one month shy of his 18th birthday. Everything, however, didn’t go as planned for Croatia’s then touted ‘golden boy’. After failing to break into the Dinamo side in spite of an impressive loan spell at Dinamo’s, Kramaric complained about the lack of playing time and was promptly transfer listed by the Croatian giants.

Kramaric transfer to Rijeka at the start of the 2013/14 season turned into a blessing in disguise for the youngster as he quickly made himself a household name in his native country. and has now become an integral part of the national team. He has appeared in four games for the Croats since September having vindicated his selection with a couple of goals to his name.

The 23-year old’s goal return this season amounts to 28 in 30 appearances for Rijeka, which includes a memorable hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League win, as well as a five-goal haul against his former club, Lokomotiva.