CHELSEA have agreed a £23.5million deal to sign Rennes wonderkid Lesley Ugochukwu, according to reports.
The 19-year-old has impressed since breaking through with his hometown team.
Ugochuwku has drawn plenty of interest with his displays in Ligue 1 – but Chelsea have won the race for his signature.
According to The Athletic, the midfield wonderkid is set to undergo a medical ahead of signing a long-term contract with the Blues.
Chelsea have already agreed personal terms with the French youth international.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have undergone a huge midfield clear out this summer.
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Mason Mount departed for Manchester United, while Mateo Kovacic joined Manchester City.
N’Golo Kante penned a lucrative contract to move to the Saudi Pro League – leaving Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea’s only senior midfielders.
Andrey Santos and Carney Chukwuemeka could also look to force their way into contention.
It is not yet clear whether Ugochuwku will go straight into Chelsea’s first-team squad.
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Should they decide to loan him out, they could look to send him to sister club Strasbourg, who were taken over by Todd Boehly’s BlueCo consortium earlier this year.
Rennes-born Ugochuwku is already fluent in English.
Speaking to The Athletic last month, the teenager cited two French Premier League icons as his midfield idols.
He said: “When I was small, I would watch the skills of players like [Paul] Pogba and [Patrick] Vieira on YouTube.
“They inspired me a lot because of the way they play. When I grew up, my academy coach sometimes called me ‘Vieira’ because they could see some techniques that he had before. I kind of see myself in both players.”
On Vieira specifically, he added: “It’s an advantage being tall and powerful. People like Vieira inspire me a lot because of what he did for Arsenal.
“It’s something that I want to do during my career, to live like that and for people to say, ‘Lesley was that kind of player’.”
The 6ft 3in starlet has already made 60 first team appearances for Rennes, following in Eduardo Camavinga’s footsteps as a teenage midfielder to come through the club’s esteemed academy.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
