Juan Cuadrado flies over for medical at Chelsea with Florence still in his heart

He already said goodbye to his team-mates on Friday and emptied out his locker, then wrote an open letter on Facebook.

“Florence will always be in my heart. The people are extraordinary. The fans full of passion. The Viola launched my career and gave me the opportunity to grow also thanks to a great club and exceptional team-mates.

“Now a new journey awaits me. New emotions. New objectives. But always with Florence in my heart. Thank you to everyone! Juan.”

Cuadrado and agent Alessandro Lucci is expected to arrive in London this morning for a medical, then sign the contract.

Sky Sport Italia claim he has chosen shirt number 74 because the numbers 7 and 4 combined make 11, his favoured jersey.

Fiorentina team-mate Giuseppe Rossi saluted Cuadrado in Spanish on Twitter, writing “Best of luck to my friend Cuadrado for his new adventure at Chelsea. You deserve it!”

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