Drinkwater completes Chelsea transfer from Leicester for reported £35M

Danny Drinkwater's long-awaited transfer away from Leicester City is complete after Chelsea announced his arrival on Thursday.

A fee was not disclosed, but a statement on Leicester's website revealed that the Foxes received a club-record fee.

Rob Tanner of the Leicester Mercury reports that Chelsea may have paid up to £35 million to complete the transfer of Drinkwater, who signed a five-year contract with the Blues.

"I'm delighted to be a Chelsea player and can’t wait to get started," he said. "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."

The deal was confirmed during the final stages of a frantic deadline day for Chelsea that was full of drama for the defending Premier League champion.

Before announcing Drinkwater's arrival, Chelsea looked poised to sign Ross Barkley from Everton. However, Barkley reportedly had a change of heart after completing a medical at Chelsea's training centre and opted to return to Everton with hopes of fighting for a regular place under manager Ronald Koeman.

But, in the end, Chelsea eventually pulled off a pair of signings, as full back Davide Zappacosta also joined the Blues following his arrival from Italian outfit Torino.

Thursday's signings conclude a somewhat busy transfer period after Chelsea completed deals for Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger, and Willy Caballero earlier this summer.

Drinkwater, who was a vital member of Leicester City's Premier League-winning team, ends his career with the Foxes after making more than 200 appearances.