Chelsea, less than 48 hours after the signing of Leicester City’s left-back Ben Chilwell, have announced the signing of Thiago Silva on a one-year deal after he passed a medical on Thursday.
Chelsea also have the option to extend the contract by a further year for the Brazil center-back, who became a free agent following PSG’s Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Ligue 1 champions confirmed the 35-year-old’s exit on Thursday after last-ditch efforts to offer him a new deal proved futile.
Silva becomes Frank Lampard’s sixth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Malang Sarr and Xavier Mbuyamba.
Thiago Silva honours with AC Milan & PSG
| Serie A title | 1 |
|---|---|
| Supercoppa Italiana | 1 |
| Ligue 1 titles | 7 |
| Trophee des Champions | 7 |
| Coupe de la Ligue | 6 |
| Coupe de France | 5 |
“I am so happy to be joining Chelsea,” Silva says.
“I am delighted to be a part of Frank Lampard’s exciting squad for next season and I’m here to challenge for honours.
“See you soon Chelsea fans, I look forward to playing at Stamford Bridge very soon.”
With Chelsea having been banned from signing players last summer, the London club is keen to strengthen and could also complete a deal for Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz before the start of the new season.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia says: “We are delighted to be able to add a player of Thiago Silva’s proven world-class credentials to our squad.
“Having performed at the highest level for many years, we have no doubt his experience and quality will complement the many exciting talents we already have here.
“Thiago will be an excellent fit and we hope he can add some new trophies to his impressive list of honors.”
Silva won seven Ligue 1 titles during his time in France but leaves the club having failed to achieve the European success desired most in Paris.
Eberechi Eze signs for Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze has joined Crystal Palace after completing a transfer from QPR for a fee that could rise to £20m.
Fulham, West Ham and Newcastle United were also in for Eze, who scored 14 goals in 46 appearances in the Sky Bet Championship for QPR last season but opted to join Palace and has signed a five-year deal at Selhurst Park.
Queens Park Ranger had rejected Palace’s previous bids of £8m and £12m, with QPR manager Mark Warburton stating that Eze would only leave if the club’s £20m valuation was met. The deal to secure his services is for £16m upfront with £4m in potential add-ons.
QPR also inserted a 20 percent sell-on clause into the agreement and their director of football Les Ferdinand says: “You never want to lose one of your best players but the situation dictates that it’s necessary so that we can, ultimately, grow and progress.
“I have no doubts Ebere will go on to enjoy a fantastic career in the game at the very top level.
“Allied to his natural talent, Ebere is an incredibly motivated, determined, and humble individual and that is why there has been so much interest in him from Premier League sides.”
Eze says: “As a football club, I feel like there are great players here and it’s a brilliant opportunity for me to come and be with these players, to link up with them and to really push on.”
Steve Parish who is Palace chairman feels the deal shows the club’s committed to signing young talents and says: “Eberechi is a player whose development we have followed closely. We are delighted he has chosen to sign for us over the other clubs that were interested and we feel that this is the right club for him to continue his development.
“With our Academy recently securing Category 1 status, this further illustrates our focus on youth as we look to consolidate and improve upon our position as a Premier League club.“
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