South American wonderkid Kendry Paez has joined Chelsea from Independiente del Valle and the teenager becomes Mauricio Pochettino's first signing at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Kendry Paez with the talented youngster set to move to Stamford Bridge in 2025, when he turns 18. The Ecuadorian wonderkid is one of the most talented young players in South America and will cost Todd Boehly €20million (£17.3m).
A statement from the Blues read: "The Ecuadorian, who will join Chelsea after his 18th birthday, has already built a reputation in South America as one of the brightest and most creative young talents around. Thanks to his combination of skilful dribbling along with the vision and technique to open up defences with his passing.
"Paez caught the eye by finding the net on his senior debut for his club this year, becoming the youngest debutant and scorer in the Ecuadorian top flight. He has six senior appearances to his name this season in addition to making his continental debut in a 2-1 Copa Libertadores win over Corinthians at the start of May."
Paez becomes Mauricio Pochettino's first signing at Chelsea as the Argentine prepares to officially begin his role as manager on July
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. The Blues made their first move in February after the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City were all said to be scouting the teenager.
But, as many Chelsea supporters will be wondering, who is Kendry Paez?
Born in 2007, Ray Kendry Paez Andrade has made a name for himself in the youth team at Independiente del Valle. The left-footed midfielder has made six senior appearances at club level, scoring one goal.
According to El Universo, the midfielder scored 39 goals in 106 games from 2018 and 2022 and has been a regular throughout del Valle's youth teams. But it isn't just at club level where he has impressed, with him already receiving a call-up to the under-17s squad - where he has three goal contributions in three games.
He continued his impressive upwards trajectory during the U20 World Cup in Argentina. The attacking midfielder featured in all three of Ecuador's group games, scoring and assisting in the 9-0 win over Fiji, becoming the youngest player ever to score in the competition.
Quite simply, yes. As mentioned above, the number of young players signed in the last six months demonstrates the club's desire to prepare for what the future holds. It's been labelled as the 'Vision 2030' model - Paez will only be 23 by then.
"I can assure people that we will not rest on our laurels of having boys [from the academy] involved in Champions League success. It's important to set out what we are doing in the short-term, but also to have a long-term vision and direction of where we want our academy to be in the future. That is always the main focus."
"Under the new ownership, Graham Potter and the broader sporting team, there is a clear and sustainable philosophy underpinned by performance analysis, data and innovation. I am looking forward to playing a part in that
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