Chelsea is nearing a deal to sign midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes for a transfer fee of £23.5 million, with the possibility of add-ons raising the total to £25.7 million.
Due to ongoing negotiations between the two clubs, the 19-year-old was left out of the team for the friendly match against West Ham on Saturday at Roazhon Park.
The Blues have already reached a personal agreement and are getting ready to hold a medical in the next 24 hours.
Ugochukwu’s future with Mauricio Pochettino’s first squad and whether or not he would spend the upcoming campaign on loan with newly acquired partner club Strasbourg are both unknowns.
Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel, who is presently on tour with the first squad in the United States, will be loaned out to the French team by Chelsea.
Elye Wahi might join him in Strasbourg after Montpellier rejected Chelsea’s £24 million offer for him. There is a cap of three loans between teams that are permitted, regardless of shared ownership.
After having a $80 million deal for Moises Caicedo from Brighton rejected last week, Chelsea is still after him.
Conor Gallagher’s future is still uncertain in light of Chelsea’s rejection of West Ham’s £40 million deal last week, and other approaches are anticipated.
After having Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Kai Havertz all leave the team this summer, Pochettino has acknowledged that his team is lacking in midfielders.