CHELSEA HAVE AGREED a fee with Monaco to sign France defender Axel Disasi, the PA news agency understands.

A deal worth £38.5million (€45 million) is believed to have been struck, which will see the 25-year-old make the move to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues dipped into the market for a centre-back after Wesley Fofana suffered a serious knee injury.

Disasi moved to Monaco from Reims in 2020 and has made 118 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, and has impressed suitably in the principality to have made his senior France debut.

Having previously been capped at Under-20 level, he became the first Frenchman to make his debut at a World Cup since 1966 when he featured in the 1-0 group-stage loss to Tunisia in Qatar.

Disasi is set to become Chelsea’s third major signing of the summer with forwards Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkuku having joined from Villarreal and RB Leipzig respectively.

Chelsea, under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, begin their Premier League campaign away to Liverpool on August 13.