- Chelsea have signed 28-year-old left-back Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano on a five-year contract for an initial fee of £16.3 million plus £1.7 million in add-ons.
- The defender is expected to compete with Jorrel Hato for the starting left full-back position under manager Xabi Alonso following Marc Cucurella's departure to Real Madrid.
- Chavarria has only played four seasons of top-flight football, having joined Rayo Vallecano from Spanish second division side Real Zaragoza in 2022.
- The Spaniard represents Chelsea's third defensive addition of the summer alongside Marco Palestra and Maxence Lacroix, while Trevoh Chalobah has departed to join Serie A side Como.
- Chelsea will play their final pre-season fixture against Real Sociedad on Saturday before opening their Premier League season with a London derby against Fulham on 24 August.
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