Ornstein: £5m deadline deal done for defender who rejected Tottenham | OneFootball

Chelsea are midway through a game against West Ham right now, but we very much doubt our sporting directors are paying attention.

They’re busy doing deadline day deals, and we’ve just had word of one come through at Stamford Bridge. David Ornstein has the exclusive report for the Athletic.

Axel Disasi’s back and forth wrestle between Tottenham and Aston Villa looks to be over at last. Having two clubs desperate for a defender played into Chelsea’s hands, and in the end it seems Villa have caved to their demands.

It’s been more than a week since we heard personal terms were agreed – it seems like patience has paid off for the Blues, who have their juicy loan fee for a player they’re not using. The recall of Trevoh Chalobah earlier this January really spelled the end for him. He’s made 6 Premier League appearances all season.

You know what might have been a good idea – keeping Chalobah around and not paying huge money for the Frenchman.

Details of loan open door for Chelsea to make money back this summer

Lewis Hall battles for the ball with Axel Disasi at St James’ Park. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

Ornstein says it’s a “straight loan” without an option to buy, with a loan fee of £5m. That’s decent business for Chelsea, who knew they weren’t going to get anything close to the £45m they paid to Monaco (for some reason) for the central defender in the summer of 2023.

Disasi still has four and a half years left on the contract he signed then, and we’d imagine the plan is for him to juice up his value with what Chelsea will hope are regular Premier League appearances for Villa. Even if they decide to look elsewhere in the summer, there should be interest if he does well.