The 22-year-old will be Town’s second January transfer window acquisition after agreeing to a four-and-a-half-year contract.
Prior to the England U21 international moving from Aston Villa to Hull City in the summer of 2023, Philogene was a longtime target for Town.
The attacker and teammate Jacob Greaves had agreed to a combined deal with the Tigers in July of last year. The Philogene side of the proposed move was thought to be worth
£18 million, and the player had accepted personal terms at Portman Road.
However, as part of the agreement they had made with the Tigers the previous summer, his old team Villa had seventy-two hours to exercise matching rights. They did so, and
Philogene returned to Villa Park for £13 million, taking advantage of the Midlanders’ thirty percent sell-on. The forward signed a five-year contract.
But since then, Philogene has only made 11 substitute appearances and three starts, two of which have been in the Premier League.
At the beginning of this window, Town and Everton, two other teams interested in the summer, made approaches, with the Blues outpacing the Toffeemen.
After a private phone conversation with manager Kieran McKenna, the Londoner agreed to sign, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
On Thursday morning, Philogene will be at the club to finish his transition and go through a physical.
The original £20 million cost is just slightly less than the club record of £22 million that Chelsea was paid for Omari Hutchinson during the summer.
With a number nine on the priority list and two players for the positions further down the list, the Blues are looking to add a number of forwards this transfer window.
Ben Doak is currently on loan at Middlesbrough, and Liverpool rejected a £16 million offer for him on Friday. Crystal Palace also submitted a proposal.
As we understand it, the Blues and Eagles are still vying for the 19-year-old, with the Reds reportedly seeking a sum of between £25 and £30 million.
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