With Diego Costa in, it appears Demba Ba will make way for the Spanish striker.
According to Turkish club Besiktas president Fikret Orman, the two sides have agreed to a transfer fee.
“Demba Ba is an excellent player, we have been in talks with Chelsea for a long time over bringing him to Istanbul,” Orman told Turkish media NTV Spor. “Talks are ongoing. Chelsea initially wanted £10million [$17 million] for Ba but we have negotiated a price we are happy with.”
After last season’s third-place finish, Chelsea has done much work to shore up their porous striker position, with Costa as the talisman. Ba is on his way out, and rumors still continue to circle the futures of Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku.
Ba hardly saw the field with Chelsea last season despite the club’s striker struggles. He made 19 appearances in the Premier League last season, but only five of those were starts.
The 29-year-old Senegal international still managed to score five goals, which works out to about a goal every 134 minutes. He signed for Chelsea in January of 2013 after bursting onto the scene with Newcastle.
Besiktas finished third in the Turkish Super Lig last season, 12 points behind champions Fenerbahce.
