Chelsea signs defender Badiashile from Monaco on long deal

LONDON (AP) — Premier League club Chelsea has signed France defender Benoît Badiashile on a seven-and-a-half-year contract from French side Monaco. No financial details were given but French media estimated the transfer fee to be around 34 million pounds ($40 million). The 21-year-old central defender made his Monaco debut in the 2018-19 season and played 137 games for the club. He has made two international appearances for France. The deal further underlined Monaco’s reputation for detecting young players through its prolific scouting network and selling them on for high fees. Monaco sold Kylian Mbappé to Paris Saint-Germain and Anthony Martial in deals worth up to 260 million euros ($274 million).