Chelsea and Manchester City are scrambling to rescue a deal for Porto defender Nicolas Otamendi.
It's been suggested this month that Chelsea had an end-of-season agreement with Porto for the Argentine, while City are considering a January bid with long-term fitness concerns of Vincent Kompany.
However, Record says Zenit St Petersburg are now in advanced talks with Otamendi's agent, Jorge Mendes, about a move to Russia during the winter transfer window.
Mendes, who is also the representative of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, is stepping up negotiations with interested clubs as he seeks to place Otamendi at a new team midseason.
