Chelsea are allegedly pushing ahead with the signing of Independiente del Valle youngster Kendry Paez.
Since their takeover in May, a consortium headed by Todd Boehly have not been shy in making additions at Stamford Bridge, whether that be for the present or future.
More than £600m has been spent in an attempt to transform the first-team squad, although the Blues currently sit down in 10th position in the Premier League standings.
In order to meet FFP criteria, Chelsea will inevitably have to make player sales during the summer, potentially more than initially anticipated if they failed to qualify for Europe.
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Nevertheless, that is unlikely to stop the powers-that-be pushing ahead with further acquisitions at the end of the season or beforehand.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have a verbal agreement in place with Independiente del Valle for Paez.
At the age of 15, Paez is not in a position where he can leave South America for a European club, instead having to wait until May 2025 when he turns 18.
However, it appears that Chelsea's recruitment team have been left encouraged by the potential of the starlet and are prepared to finalise a proposal as soon as possible.
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While the midfielder is yet to represent his club at senior level, Paez has already made five appearances for Ecuador at Under-17 level, scoring three goals.
Earlier this month, it was suggested that a wide array of Premier League clubs had all been alerted to the ability of Paez when he represented Independiente de Valle at a Next Generation tournament in Salzburg.
As well as Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool were all said to be monitoring any developments.
The same was said for the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, but it appears that Chelsea have won the race for Paez's signature.
Darren Plant
