Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes.
The 19-year-old midfielder has signed a seven-year contract with an option for a further season.
The Athletic reported last week a deal worth around €27.5million (£23.5m) had been agreed for Ugochukwu, who featured 35 times for Rennes last season.
Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley told the club’s website: “We’re delighted Lesley is joining Chelsea. He 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.”
Chelsea begin their Premier League campaign against Liverpool on August 13.
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50 to watch – Lesley Ugochukwu: The teenage Rennes midfielder with a Premier League dream
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Adam Leventhal spoke to Ugochukwu as part of The Athletic’s recent series profiling 50 exciting players under the age of 25 — who they are, how they play, and why they could be attracting interest in the coming transfer windows.
English clubs — and others in Europe — have had Ugochukwu on their recruitment watch lists since his first senior appearance in April 2021. He debuted for Rennes aged 17 years and 30 days against Dijon, making him the club’s fourth-youngest player at the time.
Top of that list? Ugochukwu’s former team-mate at Roazhon Park, Eduardo Camavinga, who left just a few months later to join Real Madrid. “What he’s doing actually is really inspiring to me because I’m like, if he can do it, I can also do it,” he says.
Like Camavinga, Ugochukwu is considered to be a significant prospect.
“When I was small, I would watch the skills of players like Pogba and Vieira on YouTube,” he says. “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.”
(Photo: Getty Images)
