John Obi Mikel is ready to commit his long-term future to Chelsea.
The Nigerian midfielder is on the brink of signing a new five-year contract, according to his agent.
"He will sign the deal," said his agent John Shittu. "Some of the club officials were away but they were expected back last weekend. As soon as everybody is in, we will sign the new contract."
He added:"It is a very good deal for him and would put him on a par with some of the top earners in the club."
Mikel is expected to cut short his summer break by a few days to sign the new papers. Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a new contract and Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Alex are expected to follow suit.
The Blues have already paid £18million for CSKA Moscow left-back Yuri Zhirkov and he has been tipped to make a major impact in the Premier League by Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.
The 25-year-old will move to Stamford Bridge subject to a medical and finalising personal terms, and Pavlyuchenko believes his Russia team-mate will be a big success in England.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime offer and you have to say yes," said Pavlyuchenko. "Zhirkov is a great professional. He could become a team leader. The only problem is his knowledge of the English language. If he masters that, all will be well."
Meanwhile, new coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed a "creative player" is high on his wishlist of potential squad reinforcements.
"I think Chelsea is a strong team, a great team, a physical team that plays very well and can be improved with some creative players," said Ancelotti. "We are looking for these players."
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