Chelsea have finalized the transfer of Rennes’s teenage French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu for £23.5 million.
The 19-year-old joins Stamford Bridge after signing a seven-year contract extension with the club.
Ugochukwu plays mostly as a defensive midfielder for Rennes, who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season to qualify for the Europa League.
After his move was confirmed, co-sporting direcotrs Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘We’re delighted Lesley is joining Chelsea. He is an impressive young player who has already made his mark in Ligue 1.
‘He has a huge amount of potential and we know he is going to continue to develop and improve. We are pleased that he has joined us in the U.S and that he will be able to integrate with the squad quickly.’
Last Saturday, Mail Sport reported that the two clubs had agreed on a fee of roughly £23 million for the France under-19 international.
His arrival comes at a time when Chelsea is short on central midfielders, having lost five from last season’s squad over the summer.
Though Chelsea has been attempting to reach a deal with Brighton for Moises Caicedo and is still interested in Southampton’s Romeo Lavia to reinforce that section of their squad, loaning Ogochukwu to their partner club Strasbourg to continue his development is also an option.
Chelsea’s signing of promising under-21 players has been a feature of their transfer policy under the new regime.
Ogochukwu will join goalie Gabriel Slonina, midfielders Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos, and Carney Chukwuemeka, wingers Diego Moreira, Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, and Angelo, and striker David Datro Fofana on the squad.
Chelsea also reached an agreement with Independiente del Valle to recruit highly rated Ecuadorian midfielder Kendry Paez, who will not be able to join the club until he turns 18 in May 2025.
