The west Londoners were dealt a huge blow when Wesley Fofana suffered an ACL injury that is likely to rule him out for most of the upcoming season, but they have wasted no time in bringing in a replacement.
Chelsea quickly identified Disasi as the ideal signing to bolster their right-sided centre-back options and he travelled to London on Tuesday to undergo a medical and put pen to paper on a long-term contract.
The 25-year-old made 118 appearances for Monaco after joining the Ligue 1 side from Stade de Reims three years ago, often captaining the team, while he has four caps for France.
Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘Axel has showcased his quality over several seasons in France and that has deservedly led to recognition on the international stage.
‘He is ready to take the next step in his career and we are delighted that will be with Chelsea. We welcome him to the club and look forward to him joining up with Mauricio Pochettino and his new team-mates in the days ahead.’
Negotiations between Chelsea and Monaco were relatively straightforward, with the two clubs sharing a good relationship, while technical director Stewart previously worked for the Ligue 1 side.
They last did business just a few months ago in the January window, when Benoit Badiashile made a £32million switch from the south of France to Stamford Bridge.
Disasi’s move will see him reunited with his old defensive partner, though Badiashile is currently recovering from a hamstring injury and will not be fit in time for the start of the season – another reason why Chelsea accelerated their move for a new centre-back.
Pochettino had played coy on Disasi’s looming arrival last weekend when reports first emerged about the deal, saying: ‘You have more news than me!’
He later added: ‘Fofana is injured so I think maybe it’s obvious that we need to reinforce this area, it’s clear no?’
A host of teams had been linked with Disasi over the summer, including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal – though the latter ended their interest after signing Jurrien Timber from Ajax instead.
In addition to signing Disasi, Chelsea have also raided Ligue 1 to secure a deal for Rennes midfielder Ugochukwu though he is not expected to stay with the first-team squad and is set to be loaned to newly acquired sister club Strasbourg.
Pochettino is still keen to bring in a new defensive midfielder this summer with Moises Caicedo the club’s top target, though Brighton are holding firm on their £100m valuation, while they could also move for a new, more orthodox centre-forward to compliment Jackson and Nkunku.
