The deal remains subject to personal terms being agreed and Hulk passing a medical.

Porto had always insisted they wanted the full 100 million Euros (123 million dollars) stipulated in Hulk’s release clause.

According to the Guardian, that figure was misleading and the true release clause was 60 million Euros.

The Portuguese club ended up trying to keep the fee above 40 million pounds but were haggled down.

With Eden Hazard expected to completed a 32 million pound move soon and deals for Marko Marin and Kevin de Bruyne already done that represents an astonishing outlay, particularly for a club without a manager.

Robert Di Matteo’s contract expires at the end of June and there is no indication, despite his success in the FA Cup and Champions League, that he will be retained.