Bayer Leverkusen general manager Wolfgang Holzhauser is convinced Andre Schurrle has already agreed a contract with Chelsea, while acknowledging they had received an offer from the Blues which is under consideration.
Schurrle has been targeted by Chelsea for quite a while now, with the move failing to materialize last summer, much to the chagrin of the German international.
However, this time around it just seems like a matter of time before the deal is completed, with Leverkusen and Chelsea ironing out the final details of the deal.
"Andre Schurrle has probably signed a pre-contract deal with Chelsea," Holzhauser was quoted as saying by Kicker magazine.
"It all depends on whether we let him go. We have received a concrete offer for a fee which we are considering.
"But the price alone is not decisive. We must also have alternatives, which we don't have yet."
The one obvious stumbling block in the deal is the fact that Leverkusen are keen on having Kevin De Bruyne on a season-long loan deal as a part of the deal which will see Schurrle move to Stamford Bridge.
However, Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund have made an offer for the Belgian international, who has been so impressive in the Bundesliga this season in a loan spell with Werder Bremen, for a permanent transfer.
Holzhauser said Chelsea prefer to send De Bruyne out on loan rather than on a permanent transfer.
"He (De Bruyne) still has a few talks to hold with Chelsea," Holzhauser added.
"It looks like there is an offer from Dortmund to sign the player for a relatively high fee.
"According to our information, Chelsea don't want to sell him but just loan him out.
"We have not yet spoken with De Bruyne to find out if he actually wants to come to us and, if so, on what conditions."
Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski, and there have been reports which suggest a swap deal involving De Bruyne could be agreed upon, which would then again put the Schurrle deal in limbo.
