Chelsea confirm signing of defender Pep Chavarria

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria on a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031 for a fee worth £16.3 million plus add-ons Wednesday.

The 28-year-old replaces Marc Cucurella, who signed for La Liga giants Real Madrid earlier this summer in a £55.8 million deal.

The Spaniard will join a list of ten summer signings for the Blues since the arrival of new manager Xabi Alonso, as the West London side look to restructure their squad following the chaotic final stretch of the season, after the sacking Liam Rosenior in April.

Chavarria has been an important member for the Rayo side in the last four years, making a total of 125 appearances in all competitions for the Real-based club.

The Spaniard helped the club make history, with back-to-back eighth-place finishes recorded in La Liga over the past two seasons and a European final reached.

He featured 44 times last term as Rayo claimed a place in the UEFA Conference League final, where they were narrowly beaten by Premier League side Crystal Palace.

The new signing expressed is delight signing for Chelsea, as one of the best clubs in the world, and relishes the beginning of yet, another important stage of his career, and how Xabi Alonso played a key role in his move to the Premier League.

“I’m so excited to get started. This is a dream for me as Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a big opportunity but I am prepared and will work hard to help the team achieve success.

“There are a lot of people who have helped me get to this moment and I have to thank my family. They have always supported me and today is only possible because of them.

He further told Chelsea.com: “I spoke with Xabi Alonso. I’m her thanks to Xabi. For me, he’s one of the best coaches right now. He was also one of the best football players.

“It’s an honour to be here. I spoke to Xabi and he said, “feel good and do the same. Don’t change’.”

Chavarria will be keeping his No. 3 jersey number – same as he wore in his time at Rayo. The number was recently left vacant after Marc Cucurella departed for the Bernabeu.