Chelsea complete free transfer for Thiago Silva

Chelsea added some much-needed savvy to Frank Lampard's backline, securing a free transfer for former Paris Saint-Germain veteran Thiago Silva on Friday.

The revered Brazilian international agreed to a one-year contract with the Blues following eight successful seasons in the French capital. The club has the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

"We are delighted to be able to add a player of Thiago Silva's proven world-class credentials to our squad," Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said in a statement. "Having performed at the highest level for many years, we have no doubt his experience and quality will complement the many exciting talents we already have here.

"Thiago will be an excellent fit, and we hope he can add some new trophies to his impressive list of honours."

Silva, 35, makes the switch to Stamford Bridge days after the central defender and his PSG mates came up short in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

The ex-PSG captain penned an extension with the French juggernauts to contest the club's two successful domestic cup finals and the continental run-in after his terms expired on June 30.

Silva joins Chelsea following a celebrated tenure at PSG where the 89-time capped international captured 23 domestic trophies and was selected to the Ligue 1 Team of the Season on seven occasions.

The well-rounded defender is an upgrade for a Chelsea side that conceded 54 league goals last season, the worst haul among any side in the top half of the Premier League table.

Silva also represents the latest addition amid a summer of change following Chelsea's two-window transfer ban. Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, and Ben Chilwell have already signed, and Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz is strongly linked with the west London lot.