Chelsea signs Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes for €27m
Chelsea has agreed to €27m deal with Rennes to sign midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. The 19-year-old will officially be part of Chelsea for the next seven years until June 2030. The West London club will pay around €27 million for the midfielder, after viewing his impressive potential during the time so far in Ligue 1.
Ugochukwu is expected to be sent to the Ligue 1 side Strasbourg which is also owned by Chelsea owners BlueCo. Ugochukwu is a defensive midfielder and is expected to help the club replace N’Golo Kante. They are in the race to sign Moises Caicedo. Their recent €93 million offer was rejected, but they are expected to return with another offer. Chelsea are on their new plan to sign young talents who could probably be future stars in the coming seasons.
Lesley Ugochukwu to move from Rennes to Chelsea:
Lesley Ugochukwu after having an impressive season in the Ligue 1 for Rennes impressed many big clubs of which Chelsea made their way out to sign the young talent for €27m that too in a long-term contract. The contract will be valid until June 2030 with further extension also possible.
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The young midfielder primarily operates as a holding midfielder and has already earned six caps for France U19s. With the departures of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and N’Golo Kante this summer, Lesley Ugochukwu’s arrival would carry on their strength in the midfield. There have been talks about the midfielder being sent to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg temporarily.
“He [Ugochukwu] is an impressive young player who has already made his mark in Ligue 1. He has a huge amount of potential and we know he is going to continue to develop and improve. We are pleased that he has joined us in the United States [on their pre-season tour] and that he will be able to integrate with the squad quickly”, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors on their successful signing of Lesley Ugochukwu.
Lesley Ugochukwu started his senior professional career with Rennes in 2020 when he made his professional debut for Rennes on 25 April 2021, replacing Steven Nzonzi in a 5–1 Ligue 1 win against Dijon. He made a total of 60 appearances for Rennes and scored one goal in the three seasons he featured. He is yet to make his senior debut for France but has played for Les Bleus at under-17, under-18, and under-19 levels.
