Chelsea are closing in on yet another signing after Fabrizio Romano revealed they are close to reaching a verbal agreement for a South American star.
Since Todd Boehly’s ownership group took charge of Chelsea last year, the club have been a force to be reckoned with in the transfer market. They have equipped themselves with an abundance of new recruits who can help them either in the present or the long-term future.
The results are yet to really become evident on the pitch during a difficult season. But in time, Chelsea will hope their strategy pays off and their new players fulfil their potential.
One area Chelsea have been looking to evolve in recent months has been their midfield. They sold Jorginho to Arsenal during the January transfer window because he was into the final six months of his contract.
N’Golo Kante is in a similar boat, and at his age is no longer a solution for years to come anyway. Hence, Chelsea will need to set out an evolution plan for their midfield.
Last summer, they brought in young talents like Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei, perhaps with that in mind. Then, in January, they snapped up Brazilian starlet Andrey Santos before breaking the British transfer record on Enzo Fernandez, someone further along the development process.
But Chelsea are continuing to keep an eye on other talents they can incorporate into their ranks. And transfer expert Romano has now confirmed they are making significant progress on another addition.
Romano tweeted on Thursday evening that Chelsea are “closing in on [a] verbal agreement” to sign Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle in his native Ecuador. In fact, the “deal [is] close to be[ing] completed.”
Deemed to be “one of the best talents in South America”, Paez is only 15 years old and will only be able to join Chelsea officially when he turns 18, in May 2025.
Kendry Paez could follow in footsteps of current Premier League star
Interestingly, he has developed at the same club as Moises Caicedo, who successfully went on to move to the Premier League with Brighton and has subsequently been on Chelsea’s radar too.
Chelsea failed to convince Brighton to sell Caicedo during the January transfer window. But planning ahead, they have quickly made progress with one of his compatriots who may be aiming to follow in his footsteps.
They will have to wait to see how Paez fulfils his potential, but he is clearly someone they believe in enough to bid for now, perhaps anticipating other interest in his signature.
Chelsea will hope their faith in Paez pays off from 2025 and beyond. For now, it is up to him to try and make his mark in Ecuador.
SOURCE: teamtalk
