The 26-year-old centre-back has signed a four-year contract.

Djilobodji said: '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. I want to thank the club for giving me this opportunity.'

Djilobodji (full name Papiss Mison Djilobodji), a Senegal international, has become a key figure for Nantes since signing for the French club in 2009.

Having started his career playing for Senegalese side ASC Saloum, Djilobodji opted to make the move to Europe in October 2009 and signed for Senart-Moissy, who were in the French fourth division at the time.

An imposing physical presence, Djilobodji quickly caught the eye of teams higher up the leagues and moved to Ligue 2 side Nantes just two months later, at the age of 21.

Quick and powerful, he was initially deployed as a defensive midfielder for Nantes, before moving back into his more favoured position of central defender.

His impressive displays at the heart of the back four were a crucial factor in Nantes securing promotion to the French top flight in 2012/13.

Their first campaign back in Ligue 1 was an important one both for the player and club and Djilobodji produced a string of solid displays as Nantes preserved their top-flight status.

Last season he was once again a pivotal member of an ever-improving team at club level, while on the international stage he was named in the Senegal squad for the African Cup of Nations and started two of their three matches at the tournament.