Transfers: Chelsea sign Fofana from Leicester

Chelsea have completed the transfer of defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester City, both Premier League sides said on Wednesday, with the Frenchman signing a seven-year contract with the west London club.

Financial details were not disclosed but British media reports said the deal was worth 70 million pounds ($81.33 million).

"Wesley is a hugely promising defender who has already proven his quality in the Premier League at a young age," Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly said.

"We are delighted we were able to bring one of Europe's most exciting talents to Chelsea and further strengthen that area of our squad, both for this season and many more to come."

The 21-year-old had made the switch to the Premier League in October 2020, joining from Ligue 1 side St Etienne for a reported fee of up to 36.5 million pounds.

During his two seasons at Leicester, he made 52 appearances in all competitions, including 37 in the league and 11 across two European campaigns.

In his debut 2020-21 season, he was named as the club's Young Player of the Year after helping Leicester win their first FA Cup, performing well in the final against Chelsea.

"The two last days have been really big days for me and I'm very happy," Fofana told the club's website.

"I trained this morning with the team and it's a dream for me. I'm very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club.

"I'm here to win trophies - the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup (League Cup), everything... The club is built to win trophies so I'm here to continue that."

Manchester United agree deal to sign winger Antony from Ajax

Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Brazil winger Antony from Ajax Amsterdam, the Premier League club said in a statement on Tuesday.

Antony, who played under United manager Erik ten Hag at Ajax, registered 12 goals and 10 assists in 33 games in all competitions as the Dutch club won a third straight Eredivisie title and made the last 16 in the Champions League last term.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed but British media reported that it would be worth an initial 80.75 million pounds ($94.63 million), with a further 4.25 million pounds in add-ons for the 22-year-old.

Antony joined Amsterdam from Sao Paulo in February 2020 and played more than 80 times for Ajax, scoring 25 goals in total. He has also been capped nine times by Brazil since his debut in 2021, scoring twice.

He will become United's fifth close-season signing following the arrivals of Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

The announcement comes at a time when media speculation about the future of forward Cristiano Ronaldo intensifies, with the Portugal player reportedly seeking to leave Old Trafford after the team's failure to qualify for the Champions League.

United are eighth in the Premier League standings with six points from four games so far. They travel to bottom side Leicester City on Thursday.

Argentine Romero completes permanent move to Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the permanent signing of Argentina defender Cristian Romero on a deal until 2027, the Premier League side said on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old centre back had initially joined the London club on a loan deal from Serie A side Atalanta in August 2021 and helped them finish fourth in the English top flight and return to the Champions League.

A crucial part of manager Antonio Conte's back three last season, Romero helped Spurs collect 10 wins from 14 league games in the final part of the campaign. He has made 32 appearances for the club and scored in the win over Brighton & Hove Albion in March.

Romero, who has 11 caps for Argentina, missed Spurs' last two games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest with an adductor issue but has begun training ahead of Wednesday's trip to West Ham United.