Chelsea have agreed on a €22 million fee to sign Brazilian and Benfica midfielder Ramires, according to a report in Record.

The 23-year-old has been continually linked with a move to Stamford Bridge following his strong performances for Brazil in the World Cup.

Benfica were thought to be reluctant to let their starman go but it has been reported that the English powerhouse have struck an agreement with the Portuguese champions to secure midfielder's services for a fee of €22 million.

Benfica, who recently sold 50 per cent of the player's rights to an investment group for a fee of €6m, will only receive €11m from the transfer fee but will still make a €10m profit on Ramires, whom they signed for a reported €7m fee from Cruzeiro a year ago.

Ramires was coincidently left out of the Benfica squad in their 4-1 friendly win against Aston Villa, possibly with the transfer in mind.