Chelsea Agree Deal to Sign Croatian Striker Andrej Kramaric, Claim Serie A Side Atalanta

Chelsea are poised to sign Croatian striker Andrej Kramaric, according to Serie A side Atalanta.

HNK Rijeka star Kramaric, who has drawn comparisons with former Milan goal scorer and current manager Filippo Inzaghi, has also been heavily linked with a January move to Tottenham Hotspur but Atalanta had remained hopeful of fending off interest from the Premier League giants.

But according to the Italian side's director Pierpaolo Marino, Jose Mourinho's side have won the race for his signature and will bring the 23-year-old to Stamford Bridge.

"We have followed Kramaric for a long time," Marino was quoted as saying by the Daily Express. "But I think he is about to sign a contract with Chelsea. "

A product of Dinamo Zagreb's youth academy, Kramaric made his debut for Croatia earlier this year and has struck a sensational 21 goals in 14 appearances in Croatia's HNL league this term, averaging a goal every 57 minutes.

The striker's current deal at HNK Rijeka expires at the end of the current season, allowing the player to hold talks with potential new clubs as of January.

Should Chelsea decide to bring him to the club in the upcoming transfer window however, they are likely to choose to send him out on loan for the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign having already sent 26 players out on temporary deals this term.

The club took an identical approach when they signed Kramaric's fellow Croatian Mario Pasalic during the summer transfer window. The Blues spent a reported £3m to bring the 19-year-olod midfielder to west London only for him to join La Liga outfit Elche on a season-long deal weeks later.