Chelsea transfer news: Lesley Ugochukwu to 'complete permanent move' to Premier League club

Chelsea are reportedly on the brink of finalising the sale of Lesley Ugochukwu to another Premier League club.

In the summer of 2023, the Blues completed the surprise signing of the Rennes midfielder for a fee in the region of £23m.

However, despite penning a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge, the 21-year-old accumulated just 567 minutes across 15 appearances during his first campaign, subsequently leading to a season-long loan at Southampton for 2024-25.

Although the Saints endured a dismal campaign and were relegated from the Premier League, Ugochukwu got his career back on track with 31 outings in all competitions.

As such, the France Under-21 international has been attracting interest in recent weeks, and it appears as though another Premier League team have won the race for his signature.

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Ugochukwu on his way to Turf Moor

According to The Athletic, Ugochukwu will be signing for newly-promoted Burnley on a permanent basis.

The player is allegedly on his way to the Clarets' facilities to undergo a medical ahead of penning a five-year contract.

Ugochukwu is seemingly viewed as someone who will strengthen their options in Scott Parker's engine room with his ability to play as a defensive-minded or combative midfielder.

While a potential fee has not been disclosed, the expectation is that it will be in the region of what Chelsea paid for the player two years ago.

Chelsea are no strangers to doing business with Burnley, who have signed Bashir Humphreys on a permanent basis after his successful loan stint and are said to be on the brink of acquiring Armando Broja from the world champions.

Burnley have already made an array of additions this summer, including Manchester City defender Kyle Walker and £12.9m winger Loum Tchaouna from Lazio.

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Will Ugochukwu become first choice at Burnley?

With Josh Brownhill having recently left on a free transfer, it was imperative that more options were added to central midfield.

Josh Cullen, Josh Laurent and Hannibal are the trio currently at the top of the pecking order, but Ugochukwu will presumably become first choice given the fee that will be involved.

At least one more such player may be signed to add competition and depth in a crucial area of the pitch.