Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of defender Ben Chilwell from Leicester in a £50million deal.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have been keen to recruit another left back this summer and identified the 23-year-old as their primary target for that position.
Chilwell’s arrival on a five-year deal comes during a remarkable summer of spending which has also seen both Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech snapped up, with German starlet Kai Havertz closing on a switch to join them.
Chilwell said: ‘I am delighted to be joining Chelsea at this very exciting time for the club.
‘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.’
Chilwell has penned a long-term contact at Stamford Bridge and will become a crucial part of Lampard’s attempts to push for silverware next season.
The 23-year-old had missed the final five games of the last campaign with a heel problem, but his new club are believed to have held no long-term concerns over the setback.
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.’
His contract with Leicester was set to run until 2024, but it is believed the England international was keen to make the switch to west London and he has got his wish.
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has previously insisted that Chilwell was not for sale, yet privately the club never ruled out allowing him to leave.
The defender’s departure will certainly represent a sizeable profit for Leicester on a player they developed through their academy system.
Chilwell still had plenty of time remaining on his deal at the King Power and also has 11 England caps to his name, meaning Leicester were in a strong negotiating position.
The club have also proven themselves difficult negotiators in the past, as demonstrated during Harry Maguire’s move to Manchester United last summer.
Chelsea are attempting to bridge the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City at the Premier League summit and have laid out a remarkable statement of intent with their business.
The Blues narrowly pipped Leicester to a Champions League place on an action-packed final day of the 2019/20 campaign, forcing their rivals to settle for a spot in the Europa League, and have now sealed the deal for one of their prized assets.
And their activity in the market shows no signs of slowing down, with Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr expected to arrive in the near future in what may prove to be an eye-watering £231m overall splurge.