By David Awopetu
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of England international Ben Chilwell from Leicester in a deal thought to be worth around £50m.
Manager Frank Lampard was known to be keen to strengthen the left-back position, and is a big fan of Chilwell, who he has followed for a number of months.
Chelsea beat Leicester to a Champions League place on the final day of the 2019/20 Premier League season, pushing the Foxes into the Europa League, and have now convinced them to part with one of their prized assets.
Chilwell is Chelsea’s third addition of the summer after the arrivals of winger, Hakim Ziyech, 27, from Ajax and striker, Timo Werner, 24, from RB Leipzig.
The 23-year-old defender, is a Leicester academy product who made his debut for the club in 2015, and had a contract with the Foxes until 2024.
He missed the final five matches of the 2019-20 season with a foot injury.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of this young, dynamic squad led by Frank Lampard as we challenge for honours next season,” said Chilwell, who has 11 England caps.
“He (Lampard) does play the younger players if they are good enough and just from speaking to him, I’m really excited to be here. I think the way the gaffer sets his teams up suits my game perfectly.”
Chilwell made a total of 123 appearances for Leicester and scored four goals, three of them coming in the Premier League last season.
Chelsea director, Marina Granovskaia, added: “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.”
