• Defender to stay on loan at Saint Etienne
• José Mourinho calls it a 'job done'
• • Follow the deadline deals on our live blog
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Kurt Zouma from Saint Etienne, where the defender will remain on loan for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half year contract at Stamford Bridge and has joined for a fee believed to be £12.5m.
He will remain in France for the rest of the season, before joining up with his Chelsea team-mates at the end of this campaign.
The Chelsea manager José Mourinho said Zouma is Chelsea's fourth and final signing of the transfer window, following the captures of the midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica, Mohamed Salah from Basel and Bertrand Traoré, who immediately was sent on loan to Vitesse Arnhem.
"Job done," Mourinho said. "The last one in the transfer window. In almost every position we have the present and also the future."
Chelsea moved for Zouma as other sides were lining up to recruit the defender, who could spend next season on loan or at Stamford Bridge.
"If we don't do it now, probably we can't do it in the summer because other clubs were also very strong on him," Mourinho added.
"So we did it, now he stays at Saint Etienne, pre-season he will join us. We will see if it is to stay or if it is to go on loan."
Mourinho has spoken of building a team for the next decade and Zouma's acquisition fits with his brief of recruiting young players full of potential.
Mourinho added: "He's another young player in the profile of some Chelsea signed in the couple of last years.
"We liked the profile, we think he's very much adapted to the Premier League.
"He is a young player for a position where we also need the future.
"He's a player with big potential, physically ready. One thing is to be physically ready, another thing is to be tactically ready. Well done Chelsea."
via Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com http://ift.tt/1jRUeft
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