South American boss reveals Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Ecuadorian teenage sensation

It is revealed that Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Kendry Paez

Talking to Studio Futbol (h/t Metro), the General Manager of Independiente del Valle, Santiago Morales, has confirmed that Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Kendry Paez.

Paez, who has been tracked by other top clubs in Europe including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United, is one of the bright young talents in South America.

He made his senior debut for Independiente earlier this year and scored twice for the Ecuador U-17 in the U-17 South American Championship, which ended last week.

Although Chelsea have agreed to a £17.5m deal to sign the player, they cannot register him until he turns 18, as per the rules. Confirming the deal and sharing related details, here’s Morales (h/t Metro):

“It is something that we have already been talking about on a few occasions, a few months ago. There is a specific interest from Chelsea, it is practically arranged between the parties.

“Legally we are looking at what can be done, he is a 15-year-old boy, FIFA prohibits this type of negotiation.

“We are going to be fortunate enough to be able to enjoy him for at least two more years until he turns 18 and then he can go.”

Paez is an attacking midfielder who can operate as a central midfielder or a right-winger. He possesses excellent dribbling skills, has a good turn of pace, and can pass and shoot well, but understandably lacks a physical edge to his game. The latter is something he can gain the more he plays. At 15, not many become men.

Chelsea have done a lot of business like this since the new ownership takeover. They have focused on buying the best young talents and developing them to become world superstars.

While all that is fine and Paez would be a good addition when he turns 18, the club needs to focus on what is required in the first-team squad. The bloating numbers must come down in the summer, and signing a striker is becoming a necessity after seeing them struggle to score one goal.

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With Mauricio Pochettino close to being appointed as the new permanent boss, the first job he would have is to identify a striker that can give him 20+ goals per season, just like Harry Kane used to do for him at Tottenham Hotspur.