Rennes' French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu (L) fights for the ball with Nice's Gaetan Laborde. (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have reached an agreement with Rennes to sign midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu for a in the region of €27-28 million.
Romano further updated The youngster has also completed his medical in London, although it is unknown if he will join the Chelsea squad for the pre-season tour.
It is also uncertain if the 19-year-old will play for Chelsea or will be loaned to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, where Blues’ owners own the majority of the stakes.
The Frenchman’s ascent to the top level has been quick; he came from the academy of Rennes, and at just 19 he became an indispensable part of the club, where he made 60 appearances for the club, including 35 in all competitions last season.
The youngster operates as a defensive midfielder and has featured six times for France’s U19s. Ugochukwu appears to be too young to swiftly transition into a defensive midfielder and solve the issue, though.
His loan move to Strasbourg will be sensible, where he can earn more game time and gain valuable experience as a player and later join Chelsea in the future.
The Blues, meanwhile have continued their pursuit of Moises Caicedo despite their fourth bid of £80 million being rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion.
Chelsea need a more experienced defensive midfielder, and Caicedo remains the ideal one. Ugochukwu could be his backup if the Blues manage to sign the Ecuadorian and that too would be a scenario for the future.
Chelsea have been spending a lot on rather unknown youngsters. Of course, our scouting department is working hard. But some would question the strategy if even a few of these youngsters don’t make it in the senior team. The present is as important as the future, and Todd Boehly and co. must understand that.
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