It has been confirmed that Chelsea have beaten rivals to the signing of another wonderkid.
As reported by The Evening Standard, Chelsea have beaten Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund to the signing of Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez, his club have confirmed.
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The 16-year-old midfielder is expected to join Chelsea in a deal that could be worth more than £17.5million. Paez will not be able to join Chelsea until he turns 18 in the summer of 2025.
Independiente del Valle director Santiago Morales said: “Today, I can say that Kendry Paez, in two years’ time, will go to Chelsea.
“We received offers from Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United, Chelsea were the team that showed the most interest.”
Paez will arrive at Chelsea from the same club as Moises Caicedo arrived at Brighton from.
Chelsea have a clear plan for Paez and other top young players they have at the club or sign in, and that is to send them on loan at clubs that they also own. The Standard go on to report that Chelsea hope to have a multi-club network set up by the time Paez joins, which would allow him to play in Europe before his move to Stamford Bridge.
This is a very smart move from Chelsea and will mean they can develop players ‘in-house’ still as such but also give them senior football experience.
