• 19-year-old midfielder becomes second signing of the summer
• Player joins from Barcelona for £4.35m

Chelsea have completed the signing of the defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu from Barcelona on a four-year deal.

The 19-year-old is the second arrival of the André Villas-Boas era and will link up with his new team-mates at the end of Spain’s Under-20 World Cup campaign.

Reports in Barcelona have suggested Oriol has cost the Blues €5m (£4.35million) up front, although that could eventually rise to €10m.

The fee for the midfielder was agreed 11 days ago, with Oriol quoted this week as saying: “Chelsea is a great option for me. Leaving Barça hurts, but you have to take your chances.”

Earlier this week Oriol’s agent, Mágico Diaz, reportedly jetted out to Columbia, where the Under-20 World Cup is currently being played, to seal the deal. Oriol has played every minute of Spain’s first two games, 4-1 and 2-0 victories over Costa Rica and Ecuador respectively.

His arrival at Stamford Bridge will help offset the loss of Michael Essien, who faces six months out with a serious knee injury. Speaking after the fee had been agreed, Villas-Boas said: “It is a part of the squad in which we are struggling with numbers because of Michael Essien’s injury and Oriol is a player with a bright future. He still has to evolve as a player.

“The Barcelona B team had a magnificent year in the Spanish second division, they finished third. Oriol had an injury during the season but he came back late on and was in time to play for the first team. So he is one of the most promising young players in that position.”

Oriol made his first-team debut for Barça at the end of last season but head coach Pep Guardiola deemed him surplus to requirements.

Chelsea have already signed the Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from Genk, immediately loaning him out to Atletico Madrid. And that is unlikely to be the end of the Blues’ spending before the start of the season.

They have seen two bids for Luka Modric rejected this summer and were this week pondering to make a third and final offer for the Tottenham playmaker. There have also been reports linking Yury Zhirkov and Alex with moves away from Stamford Bridge.

ChelseaBarcelonaTransfer windowguardian.co.uk

• ‘It could be weeks, it could be months,’ says defender
• Chelsea skipper adds to current injury troubles at club

The Chelsea captain John Terry fears that a long-term nerve injury in his leg could sideline him for months. The complaint forced Terry to miss the 3-0 home defeat against Sunderland on Sunday, which served to underline the importance of the defender to his team’s title defence.

Terry admitted that he was no longer able to play with the pain of the injury, which he has battled since the end of last season, and is worried he will now have to take a long-term break in order to fully recover. “It is at a point where I cannot carry on with it,” he said. “I used to be able to make it through games because the adrenalin gets you going and you blank the pain out. But now there is no decision to make. After games I’m in agony and not sleeping at all.”

Terry will miss England’s friendly against France at Wembley tomorrow night and is reportedly considering whether to fly out to Italy before the end of the week to find a cure. “I’m at my wit’s end,” he told The Sun. “I know I won’t play against Birmingham on Saturday but beyond that there are no clues. It could be weeks, it could be months.”

Should Terry be ruled out it would be another major injury blow for Chelsea who have already been without fellow England international Frank Lampard for most of the season. Lampard is set to miss at least another two weeks after suffering an abductor muscle injury in training last week.

The Blues are also without key midfielder Michael Essien, who has two games to run on his suspension after receiving a straight red card against Fulham last Wednesday night.

John TerryChelseaguardian.co.uk