CHELSEA are set to sign teenage wonderkid Jimmy-Jay Morgan from Southampton – after the transfer window has closed.
The Blues have agreed to pay a staggering £6million plus add-ons for the striker born in 2006.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Stamford Bridge club have struck a deal with Saints for the 17-year-old, pipping a host of clubs including Leeds to his signature.
Morgan is expected to put pen to paper on a three-year in West London after undergoing a medical today.
The teenager will link up with the Chelsea academy again to continue his development, despite being on the fringes of the Saints first team.
He first joined the youth set-up aged eight but left for Southampton due to the travel between his home and the club’s Cobham training ground.
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Morgan proved his class in front of goal with 27 strikes for the Southampton Under-16s last season – and a further 13 for the U18s.
This term he was up to six goals and five assists in 13 youth games.
Southampton youth coach Louis Carey said the rising star is “one of the best” finishers he had witnessed at the academy.
New manager Nathan Jones added: “A fantastic player with a bright future if he picks the right choices and people working with him handle him well.”
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Morgan appeared for the Saints’ U21s in the EFL Trophy earlier this season.
And he was selected in the first-team squads for the Carabao Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday in November and then the FA Cup victory at Crystal Palace last month.
Morgan is understood to have rejected an offer for a first professional contract at Southampton, where he had 18 months left on his current deal, before leaving for Chelsea.
He follows in the moves made by goalkeeper Eddie Beach and forward Tyler Dibling, who both moved from Southampton to the Blues last summer – although the latter returned due to homesickness.
On the international stage, Morgan has a prolific record of six goals in seven games for England U17s – including back-to-back braces against Georgia and Israel in European U17 Championship qualifying.
The teenage talent becomes Chelsea’s ninth winter signing – and takes the spending by Todd Boehly for the window beyond £330m.
Almost a third of that went on the £107m British transfer fee paid to Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke have also linked up with Graham Potter’s squad.
Malo Gusto joined from Lyon but has been loaned back for the remainder of the season while Joao Felix arrived on a temporary switch from Atletico Madrid in a bonkers January transfer window.
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News of Morgan heading to Chelsea comes 24 hours after Jude Soonsup-Bell left the club.
The 19-year-old forward signed a three-year deal with Tottenham.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
