Chelsea have signed midfielder Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid for the season.

Saul will join Chelsea for an initial fee of £ 3.4m (€ 4m), with the Blues having the option to make the deal permanent next summer for £ 30m (€ 35m).

The 26-year-old, who was Diego Simeone’s title holder last season, made more than 300 appearances for Atletico after joining the first team at the age of 17 in 2012.

Saul told Chelsea’s website: “I’m very excited to start this new challenge with Chelsea.

“Blues fans; I’m one of you now and I can’t wait to wear the jersey, start training, and see you all. See you soon!”

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: “We welcome Saul to the club and believe he will complete our roster as we compete for honors in five different competitions this season.

“He is a proven winner, a player with a lot of experience and we know that he will be very well suited to the challenges we face on all fronts in the coming year.”

In addition to winning La Liga last season, Saul also won two Europa League titles and the Copa del Rey while at Atletico.

The 26-year-old has made 19 caps for Spain despite not having played for his country in almost two years.

Saul’s arrival was confirmed after the Premier League transfer window closed at 11pm on Tuesday night but was allowed to continue as filings were submitted on time.

He is Chelsea’s third and final signing of the summer, following the arrival of third goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Fulham and the club record purchase from Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Blues, however, were unable to finalize Seville defender Jules Kounde’s signing after the La Liga side put a cost of nearly £ 80m (£ 68.7m) on the France international.

Kounde was eager to join Chelsea but the European champions have not increased their offer of around € 50m (£ 42.9m).

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