Lesley Ugochukwu, a 17-year-old midfielder, has joined Premier League club Chelsea from Ligue 1 team Stade Rennes on a seven-year deal with an additional year’s option.
The deal’s financial terms were not made public, but according to British media, Chelsea paid Rennes roughly €27.5 million for the 19-year-old.
A regular at Rennes last season, Ugochukwu, a France under-19 international, helped the team finish fourth in the French premier division and go to the Europa League knockout round.
Read Also:Brighton Rejects Chelsea’s £80m Second Bid For Caicedo
“We’re delighted Lesley is joining Chelsea. He is an impressive young player who has already made his mark in Ligue 1,” Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley told the club website.
“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 (on tour) in the US and that he will be able to integrate with the squad quickly.”
At the time of his senior debut, Ugochukwu was the club’s fourth-youngest debutant.
He joined the Rennes junior system at the age of eight.