Chelsea sign Hannah Hampton on free transfer following Aston Villa departure

Chelsea have signed England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton on a free transfer following her Aston Villa exit.

Hampton's two-year spell with Villa ended this summer at the conclusion of her contract, with the 22-year-old making 43 appearances in all competitions for the club.

She now joins Zecira Musovic, Ann-Katrin Berger and Emily Orman as the goalkeepers in Emma Hayes' title-winning squad.

Hampton is also in the 23-player England squad for the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand that kicks off this month.

Chelsea playing the long game with Hampton

Sky Sports' Anton Toloui:

Hampton leaves Aston Villa for Chelsea but the problem for the talented 22-year-old is there are already three quality goalkeepers on the books in west London.

This would be a case of Chelsea not wanting to miss out on a player that could go on to be one of the best in her position in Europe, even if they have to play the long game.

With that in mind, expect Hampton to be loaned to another WSL club this season so her progress can continue.

Chelsea are not the only WSL club that wanted to sign Hampton, while there was also interest from Spanish teams in the past, including Barcelona.

It's a bold move by Hampton to leave Villa but one that will pay off if she eventually becomes Chelsea's No 1.