Chelsea have a payment plan that could allow them to sign Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, according to A BOLA.

The Portuguese tabloid claim that the Blues are prepared to match the shot-stopper’s €75m (£64.5m) release clause, as long as they can pay it in three separate instalments of €25m (£21.5m).

With the London club keen to stay within Financial Fair Play rules, they are not willing to shell out the full amount upfront for Costa.

It remains to be seen whether Porto will accept such a proposal. A BOLA report a similar payment structure was offered by Paris Saint-Germain when they tried to sign Vitinha last summer, but it wasn’t deemed acceptable.

With Porto under pressure to sell players, due to financial pressures of their own, they may be more flexible if Chelsea put a bid on the table for Costa.

Chelsea have already made a similar deal for Nicolas Jackson

It was widely reported that Jackson had a €35m (£30m) buyout clause in his contract but the Blues ultimately ended up paying slightly more than that figure for the Senegalese international so they could pay the fee in instalments.

There is a possibility they could try a similar approach if they open negotiations with Porto to sign Costa in the coming weeks.

Costa is not the club’s top transfer target

Once Chelsea have finalised the sales of a number of players, a keeper is not believed to be top of the agenda. It is thought that an approach for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo will be the first priority.

If they do complete the signing of the Ecuadorian international, as well as potentially a striker and an attacking midfielder, they may then consider pursuing a number one. From the sound of things, though, Costa is the club’s top choice for the position if and when they decide to make their move.