Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea signing ‘sealed’ as Boehly fights off Man Utd to land next Moises Caicedo
Both Fabrizio Romano and a club’s director have confirmed Chelsea will sign an exciting midfielder ahead of Manchester United, with the transfer now ‘sealed’.
Since helping a consortium buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, Todd Boehly has been on a mission to help the club land some of the best young players in the world. So far, Chelsea have brought in talented youngsters including Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Noni Madueke.
The strategy has yet to bear fruit as Chelsea have had a troublesome campaign involving a host of disappointing results and three different managers. But Boehly will be hoping the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, who is set to arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer, will change all that.
Pochettino has previously shown he is great at working with young players and developing them into top stars. Due to this, there is a good chance he will improve Chelsea and get the best out of the squad.
And Kendry Paez will soon become the latest starlet to end up joining the Blues. He is a 16-year-old attacking midfielder – who can also operate as a right winger – that currently plays for Independiente and Ecuador U20s.
At the start of May, Romano explained how Chelsea were close to signing Paez as he had agreed a ‘long-term contract’ with them. Chelsea have brokered a €20million (£17.3m) deal with Independiente for Paez. However, most of that sum is made up through future add-ons, meaning Chelsea won’t have to pay much until a few years’ time.
Romano has now provided a brief update on the situation on his Twitter account. He writes that the Chelsea capture is ‘done and sealed’.
The tweet also carries quotes from Independiente’s director, Santiago Morales. He confirmed that Man Utd had been in the frame to sign Paez, only to be beaten to the move by Boehly’s Chelsea.
Latest South American talent ‘will be Chelsea player’
“Today, I can say that Kendry Paez will be Chelsea player in 2025,” Morales told Ecuadorian source El Canal del Futbol. “We received bids from Man Utd and Borussia Dortmund but Chelsea showed super interest.”
Due to UK employment laws, Paez cannot actually move to the UK to become part of Chelsea’s squad until he is 18. This means Blues supporters will probably not see him in action for them until the 2025-26 campaign.
The teenager looks set to follow in the footsteps of Brighton star Moises Caicedo. Comparisons can be drawn between the pair as they are compatriots, plus Caicedo also came through the ranks at Independiente before moving to England.
Man Utd tried to sign Caicedo as well, but he ended up going to Brighton instead. The Red Devils will be angry about their transfer failure as the all-action midfielder has gone on to become a big hit in the Premier League. And he could end up joining Arsenal in a £70m deal this summer.
Paez will be well aware of how his compatriot is doing in England and will want a piece of the action. However, it is likely the attacker will be loaned out for a couple of seasons before getting his shot at a first-team place.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s Transfer Gossip shockingly claims Pochettino may let a recent Chelsea signing leave in the summer.