Chelsea set to beat Man Utd and Real Madrid to £15m star as arrival date revealed

Chelsea are reportedly set to sign rising Boca Juniors star Aaron Anselmino – but the teenager won’t link up with the Premier League side until next year.

Anselmino has been on Chelsea‘s radar for many months now, but the defender’s progress also caught the attention of Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Even though the 19-year-old – who has been out with a hamstring injury – has only played 10 times for the Argentinian side, these European giants jostled for position to sign the youngster.

In June, Chelsea reportedly opened talks with the centre-back, who signed a deal until December 2028 with Boca earlier this year.

Anselmino, who was also a target for AC Milan, is highly rated in his native country, with Argentine legend Juan Roman Riquelme singing his praises in 2024.

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The former Villarreal star said: “He [Anselmino] has developed a lot. With the growth, the head that he has and the desire to learn that he shows, he is on his way to being a great footballer. He is going to be a player for the national team. He is going to compete with the centre-backs.”

Chelsea get their man

Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have completed a deal to recruit Anselmino. He adds the pay package will be upwards of £15.5m and the youngster will travel to the United Kingdom on Monday.

However, the former Sportivo Realico academy player will stay with Boca on loan until January 2025 at the very least – meaning he will have to wait a bit longer for his Blues debut.

If he joins, he could become the Blues’ eighth signing of the summer. So far, the west London outfit have recruited Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City, Marc Guiu from Barcelona, Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham, Caleb Wiley from Atlanta, Renato Veiga from FC Basel, and Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa.

Enzo Maresca’s men are also closing in on Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. So, if Anselmino joins, that will be the eighth man through the Stamford Bridge door so far.

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One for the future

Chelsea are preparing for life without figurehead and veteran Thiago Silva, following the 39-year-old’s move to Fluminense this summer.

The Blues do not have a player of his experience and nous in their backline, so it is up to the likes of Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, and Trevoh Chalobah to shore up their defence going forward.

While they jostle for position in the battle to be in Maresca’s starting lineup for the first game of the new Premier League season next month, they may be casting an eye on Anselmino’s progress.

The youngster is one for the future but such is his reported pedigree, he could be vying for a starting centre-back role in 2025.