Chelsea confirm signing of Rennes teenage midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu ahead of potential Strasbourg loan

Chelsea have completed the signing of French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.

The 19-year-old is believed to have cost around £23.1 million as the club continue their squad rebuild under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, who joined the side earlier in the summer.

Ugochukwu joins Andrey Santos, Nicolas Jackson, Diego Moreira, Angelo Gabirel and Christopher Nkunku as this transfer window’s new signings at Stamford Bridge, though Chelsea continue to be linked with other players.

Negotiations continue between Juventus and Chelsea over a potential exchange of Dusan Vlahovic, Juve’s Serbian striker, and Romelu Lukaku, who spent last year on loan at Inter Milan.

Chelsea’s owners also own Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, and it has been suggested that rather than fight for a first-team place at Stamford Bridge for the forthcoming season, Ugochukwu is likely to be loaned out to the French side in order for him to continue his development before potentially being considered by Pochettino.

The club confirmed the deal on their official website, saying: “The 19-year-old joins on a seven-year contract, with a club option of a further year. He has moved from his hometown club Rennes, for whom he was a regular last season as they finished fourth in France’s Ligue 1 and made the knockout stage of the Europa League.

"Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘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. We are pleased that he has joined us in the U.S and that he will be able to integrate with the squad quickly.’

“Ugochukwu has quickly built a reputation as a ball-winning midfielder and a good user of possession. He joined the Rennes youth system at eight years old and made his senior debut just after his 17th birthday. He became the club’s fourth-youngest debutant at the time.

“His first Ligue 1 start came a fortnight later against Paris Saint-Germain; Ugochukwu impressed playing against Neymar that night. Earlier that season he had been on the bench when the Brittany club travelled to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League.

“Ugochukwu, a France Under-19 international, has established himself as a regular with Rennes over the past two seasons and leaves having made 67 appearances.”

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