Chelsea began preparing for next season on Saturday with an agreement to sign Germany midfielder Marko Marin from Werder Bremen.
The west London club, which still has a Champions League final to prepare for and three English Premier League games remaining, said on Saturday it has agreed to a fee for the 23-year-old playmaker and that Marin has accepted its offer of personal terms.
Chelsea did not say how much it would pay for Marin. Bremen paid Bundesliga rival Borussia Moenchengladbach about ?8 million ($10.6 million) for him in 2009.
Bremen confirmed the transfer in a statement, although no fee was disclosed.
German media widely reported that Marin has agreed to a five-year contract.
''We finalized the last details during the course of the day,'' Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs told Sky television on Saturday.
Marin scored eight goals in 87 Bundesliga appearances for Bremen.
''I had a very nice time at Werder with many great guys and good memories, but of course I'm looking forward to the Premier League with such an established club,'' Marin said.
Marin was born in the former Yugoslavia but has played 16 times for Germany, including two substitute appearances at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
He was an Eintracht Frankfurt youth player before switching to Moenchengladbach at 16. He made his Bundesliga debut in 2007.
Marin has 12 goals in a total 124 Bundesliga appearances.
