LONDON — Spanish club Valencia announced Sunday that an agreement had been reached with Chelsea to take Spain winger Juan Mata to Stamford Bridge.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to the English Premier League for much of the summer, with Arsenal believed to be closing in on a deal at one point and Liverpool also reported to be interested.

But it was Chelsea that emerged as the frontrunner for Mata’s signature in recent days and manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted over the weekend he was an “interesting player.”

Valencia confirmed on its official website that it had “reached a preliminary deal with Chelsea FC for the transfer of the football player Juan Manuel Mata.”

The deal is subject to Mata successfully passing a medical, which could take place on Monday as Mata prepares to fly to London.

No further details were released, but Spanish media reports suggested the transfer fee would be in the region of $43 million (€30 million).Read more: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_7116795,00.html