Chelsea sign Nantes defender Papy Djilobodji and Reading's Michael Hector

The 26-year-old emerged as a late target for Jose Mourinho after Everton rejected multiple bids for John Stones and refused to consider selling the England international.

Djilobodji has now signed a four-year deal with Chelsea after completing a transfer worth a reported £4 million.

"I’m very happy to sign for a big club like Chelsea and I want to do my best to help the team win titles," he told the club's official website. "I want to thank the club for giving me this opportunity."

The defender joined Nantes from Moissy-Cramayel in January 2009 and made 171 league appearances for the club, scoring nine goals.

The Premier League champions later confirmed the arrival of another defender, Michael Hector from Reading, further bolstering their back line ranks.

The 23-year-old centre-back, who has signed a five-year-contract, will return to Reading and spend the remainder of this season on loan at the Madejski Stadium.

Hector, from London and a boyhood Chelsea supporter, began his career in the youth team at Millwall and moved to the Reading academy in 2009.

Having continued his development and gained crucial experience of first-team football out on loan, Hector made his Reading debut in January 2014 at the age of 21.

Last season, under the guidance of former Chelsea player and coach Steve Clarke, Hector established himself as a hugely important member of the Reading defence, making 49 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.

He also played the full 120 minutes of Reading's FA Cup semi-final defeat against Arsenal at Wembley.

Hector, who captained Reading for the first time last week, has represented Jamaica at international level and started all three of their matches at this summer’s Copa America.

Djilobodji may well turn out to be a good signing for Chelsea but there is no escaping the conclusion that he is very much a Plan B after Everton stood firm on Stones. Once he handed in a transfer request it seemed inevitable that Chelsea would get their man but Everton have defied the modern trend of player power to keep Stones. It's a real coup for Everton, while Djilobodji's form will determine how much of a disappointment it is for Chelsea.

Hector, meanwhile, has triggered a bit of a negative reaction from Blues fans since he is far from a big-name marquee signing that they expected to get in Stones - however the fact he is going straight back to Reading for the remainder of this campaign makes it very clear that this is an investment signing for the club's future. Of course, he's also the 32nd Chelsea player on loan elsewhere now, and the club's reputation for nurturing talent for future seasons is very poor.