Chelsea have agreed a deal with French Ligue 1 club, Monaco for the services of French center-back Axel Disasi worth about £38.6 million.
Axel Disasi, 25, has just two years left on his contract with the French Ligue 1 side. Due to his prolific performance last season, a series of Premier League clubs including Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Chelsea showed interest in him.
At the end of the dragging transfer negotiations, Monaco accepted Chelsea’s offer after the French side had reached an agreement with Championship side, Southampton, for Ghanian defender Mohammed Salisu as Disasi’s replacement.
On the other hand, when french center-back Wesley Fofana tore his ACL earlier this month, Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino urged the club to look for an additional defender.
During Chelsea’s preseason tour of the United States, Pochettino expressed confidence that Fofana, who underwent knee surgery, would fully recover this season. However, the club had to make a provision in place of the Frenchman.
The current options available to Pochettino for the center-back positions are Levi Colwill, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, and Benoit Badiashile, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury since last season.
Disasi will be an additional option for Chelsea as a right-sided center-back. He moved from Reims, where he lived for four years, to Monaco in 2020 and played three times for France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
