Lesley Ugochukwu: Chelsea complete the £23.2million signing of the Rennes midfielder on a seven-year deal

Aug 1, 2023 at 6:12 p.m. BST

Updated 2 hours ago

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Lesley Ugochukwu made 47 appearances in Ligue 1 for Rennes in the 2022/23 season.

Chelsea have signed teenage French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes on a seven-year deal for €27m (£23.2m).

19-year-old Ugochukwu has made 47 Ligue 1 appearances for Rennes and has also featured in the Europa League.

He is yet to make his senior debut for France but has played for Les Bleus at U17, U18 and U19 levels.

The ` understand Ugochukwu, who made his senior debut just after his 17th birthday with Rennes, could be loaned back to Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.

Chelsea have a plan to sign young talent with the potential to become future stars of world football while also winding up their bloated squad after spending £600million in the last two transfer windows.

Ugocukwu’s contract also includes an option for a further year.

Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “He [Ugochukwu] is an impressive young player who has already made a name for himself in Ligue 1. He has great potential and we know he will continue to develop and improve.

“We are delighted that he has come to us in the USA [on their pre-season tour] and that he can quickly integrate into the team.”

Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount have all left the club this summer for Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, while N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy have joined the Saudi Pro League.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic both moved to Italian giants AC Milan.

The Blues are reportedly keen on a deal with Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, while Conor Gallagher is the subject of a £40m offer from West Ham.

Chelsea already have forwards Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, as well as Brazilian youngster Angelo Gabriel in their squad.