Chelsea have reportedly agreed a £17.6 million ($22m) deal for attacking midfielder and winger Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle.
The Blues will add another youngster to their ranks, continuing a future-focused philosophy under new owner Todd Boehly. The 15-year-old will remain at his club in Ecuador for two more years, according to the report from Fabrizio Romano, and will likely spend time in Chelsea’s academy before reaching the first team. But for such a substantial fee, he will arrive with high expectations.
Chelsea have struggled this season despite spending hundreds of millions of pounds in the transfer market. Their hope is that expensive signings such as Enzo Fernando and Mykhailo Mudryk can use the frustrations of 2022-23 as a learning experience to fuel their development in the coming years.
