Chelsea seal Drogba deal

Chelsea have completed their £24 million swoop for Marseille striker Didier Drogba with the French Footballer of the Year signing a three-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Drogba has completed the formalities of his switch to London, with The Blues receiving a double boost as Eidur Gudjohnsen has penned a fresh four-year deal.

The arrival of Ivory Coast international Drogba ends a protracted saga for Chelsea, who have been chasing the prolific hit-man for the bulk of the summer.

The Blues finally agreed a fee with Marseille on Monday, with the £24 million figure eclipsing the British record for a striker, which Manchester United paid to land Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Drogba arrived in London on Tuesday to finalise his move to The Premiership's big-spenders after just one season with Marseille.

The 26-year-old passed a medical and concurred on a three-year deal with The Blues and joins Mateja Kezman in changing the face of Chelsea's strike-force.

For Blues coach Jose Mourinho, the arrival of Drogba at Stamford Bridge ends his personal pursuit of the African hot shot as he wanted the player during his time in charge of Porto.

Drogba is delighted to have clinched his move to Chelsea and is determined to repay the club's faith in him.

"I am very happy to be here and am looking forward to playing for my new team," Drogba told Chelsea TV. "I want to do well with my national team and my club, so I will do my best to be better than I was last season at Marseille."

In addition to Drogba's signing, Icelandic international Gudjohnsen has pledged his future to the club by inking the four-year contract extension.

Gudjohnsen joined Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers four years ago and has decided to prolong his association with the club.