Chelsea have signed Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater for £35m on transfer deadline day.
The England international signed a five-year-contract with the English champions.
The 27-year-old midfielder is the sixth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Alvaro Morata and also tonight, Davide Zappacosta.
Drinkwater who won the league with Leicester two seasons ago will reunite with N’Golo Kante who joined from Leicester last season.
The pair forged a profitable partnership in Leicester’s incredible title-winning campaign of 2015/16.
Drinkwater played in 35 of Leicester’s 38 league games in their title-winning season but is yet to play this season because of a thigh injury.
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The playmaker, who joined Leicester in 2012 from Manchester United, has won three England caps since making his international debut in March 2016.
“I’m delighted to be a Chelsea player and can’t wait to get started. It has been a long journey to get here but I am very happy and am looking forward to helping the club win more trophies,” he said after signing.
Technical director Michael Emenalo added: “Danny is not only a Premier League winner but also has Champions League experience which will be invaluable for us this season.
“He is a typically combative English midfielder with a cultured passing technique and his arrival significantly strengthens our midfield options.”
Earlier, Chelsea has also completed the signing of Zappacosta from Torino.
The 25-year-old can play at wing-back or full-back and has been capped by Italy. He has signed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
“It is a dream for me to join Chelsea and play in the Premier League.
“I am very excited to be here and start working with the team. I hope I can show my quality to the coach, my team-mates and the supporters,” Zappacosta said.
Zappacosta possesses a combination of defensive and attacking qualities and is a fine crosser of the ball from a wide-right position.
His energy and stamina enable him to get forward for 90 minutes and recover quickly when defending.
He is quick and composed in one-on-one situations and times his tackles well.
“Davide is a player of international calibre who Antonio Conte knows well and we have been aware of for some time.
“We are very pleased to be able to bring him to the club and believe he will become an important member of the squad,” Emenalo said.
