Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella confirmed Friday that Juan Cuadrado is set to complete a move to Chelsea, with Mohamed Salah moving on loan in the opposite direction.
Cuadrado is expected to undergo a medical in London on Saturday ahead of signing a permanent deal with the Premier League club.
"I'm honest, it was something that had to be done," Montella said. "As a coach I'm disappointed, because we're losing a lot with the departure of Cuadrado, but the club did the right thing, it was paid a lot and Chelsea is a great club."
There was no official statement from either club but Chelsea is believed to have matched the release clause of around 33 million euros ($37 million) for Cuadrado.
The 26-year-old winger scored five goals in 17 matches for Fiorentina this season and starred at the World Cup for Colombia.
Salah made just 19 appearances in his year at Chelsea, after joining from Basel in last season's January transfer window. The Egypt winger was never a regular under manager Jose Mourinho.
"We're getting a player like Salah who will have to adapt to our football, a league that is different from the Swiss and English ones," Montella said. "It's difficult to find another player now of Cuadrado's level, because Salah is a player with other characteristics. But I am still confident that I can give the squad confidence, making them understand that everything we have done up to now is not only thanks to Cuadrado."
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