CHELSEA have completed the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes.
The teenage midfielder has joined the Blues for £23.2million, signing a seven-year deal with the option of a further year.
Ugochukwu becomes Chelsea’s fifth signing of the summer, following Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo and Diego Morreira through the door at Stamford Bridge.
The France under-19 international has already joined up with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour of the USA.
He is set to train in Chicago on Tuesday night and could make his Chelsea debut against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that he could still be loaned out before the end of the transfer window.
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Reacting to the signing, he told reporters: “He’s a talented guy, we need to assess him.
“We will assess him for the transfer window to see if he will be with us because he is young.”
“He has the possibility to be on loan or stay with us.”
Ugochukwu arrives after coming through the Rennes academy and making 60 first-team appearances.
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He made his Ligue 1 debut in 2021 just 30 days after his 17th birthday, before becoming a regular last term.
During the course of the 2022/23 season, the defensive midfielder starred in both the league and in Europe.
Rennes enjoyed a successful campaign as they finished fourth in the league and reached the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
