Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Ben Chilwell from Leicester for £50 million (€58m), with the England defender moving to Stamford Bridge on a five-year contract as Frank Lampard continues to stengthen his squad for the new season.
Chilwell, who was left out of England's squad for next week's Nations League matches due to injury, has long been targeted by the Chelsea manager and the 23-year-old was keen to play in the Champions League having just missed out on qualification with Leicester last season. His arrival takes Chelsea's spending in this transfer window to around £130m (€150m) following the signings of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, with the Brazil defender Thiago Silva expected to join on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the coming days.
Chelsea are also on the verge of an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen over a £90m (€104m) deal for Kai Havertz that would take their spending this summer past £200m (€230m), while they are also hoping to sign free agent Malang Sarr.
“‘I am delighted to be joining Chelsea at this very exciting time for the club,” Chilwell told Chelsea’s website. “I’m looking forward to being a part of this young, dynamic squad led by Frank Lampard as we challenge for honours next season. I can’t wait to get started and hopefully it won’t be long before we’re playing in front of the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge.”
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: “We are very pleased to have completed our third addition to our exciting squad for the coming season. Ben brings plenty of top-level experience playing in the Premier League, Champions League and at international level, despite his young age.
“We are confident Ben will adapt very quickly to being a Chelsea player and with the fixture programme for 2020-21 especially busy, he is a fantastic addition to the squad needed to challenge for honours.” - Guardian
