Report: Chelsea close to signing left-back Baba Rahman from Augsburg

Baba Rahman will replace Filipe Luis, after he rejoined Atletico Madrid

Chelsea are close to signing Baba Rahman from Augsburg after agreeing a deal with the Bundesliga club, according to The Guardian. The Blues have been looking for defensive reinforcements this summer and they have finally made some progress on that front, bidding a reported £21.7 million for the left-back.

Baba Rahman has been earmarked by Chelsea as the successor to Filipe Luis, who was sold back to Atletico Madrid for £11 million after moving to the Stamford Bridge just last season for a fee of £15.8 million. The Premier League Champions are expected to cough up £14 million up front for the 21-year-old and that figure will rise by more than 6 million if he makes more than a 100 appearances for the club.

The player has been on the radar of big teams like Arsenal, Manchester City and Roma due his exploits in the Bundesliga in the 2014-15 season, but he is understood to be keen on Chelsea having already agreed personal terms with them. He is expected to complete his medical in London ahead of his new side’s league match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Baba began his career with Ghana Division Two side Dreamz FC and after impressing there he was loaned to Asante Kotoko FC, who play in the Ghana Premier League. He established himself as a starter in the team and earned a 2 million move to German second division club Greuther Furth in 2012, where he went on to make 44 league appearances. He made more tackles than any other player in the German top flight in his last season for the club in 2014, before moving to Augsburg.

The young defender is also a full international for Ghana, having made 11 appearances for his national side since his debut in 2014. He was also a part of the Ghana team that was beaten on penalties in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Ivory Coast earlier this year.

The German Cup victory over fourth division side Elversberg was Baba’s last game for Augsburg, and the Ghanian performed a lap of honour to say goodbye to the supporters. Despite playing only one season at the club he became something of a fan favourite during his time at the WWK Arena, and coach Markus Weinzierl praised his defender’s move to a top continental club.

“I would like to continue working with all players, but when you sign someone like Baba from the second division and he’s on Chelsea’s radar 12 months later, it does make the coaching staff proud,” he said.