Chelsea Beat Manchester United To Their First Summer Transfer Signing

Chelsea have beaten Manchester United to the signing of Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez in a £20million deal before new manager Mauricio Pochettino has even put pen to paper on his own deal.

Frank Lampard is temporarily in charge of first-team affairs at Stamford Bridge after Graham Potter was sacked by Todd Boehly at the beginning of April.

Former Paris-Saint Germain and Tottenham boss Pochettino is expected to sign a deal to become the Blues’ next boss in the coming days, but the capital club has not dragged their heels when it comes to snapping up fresh talent and have already agreed their first acquisition.

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A number of players have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge after word of the Argentine’s imminent arrival became common knowledge, but the first player seemingly over the line is a South American teenager.

Kendrey Paez is a 16-year-old midfielder who currently plays for Independiente Del Valle in the Ecuadorian Serie A. The highly-rated youngster is valued at £17.6million and according to reports, it is Chelsea who has won the race for his signature.

( Image: Franklin Jacome/by Agencia Press South/Getty Images)

As per ESPN, Independiente Del Valle director Santiago Morales has confirmed Paez’ pending switch to the Blues, fending off competition from United.

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Speaking in an interview with El Canal Del Futbol, Morales said: “Now comes the legal issue. We can’t sign a contract because of Kendry’s age.

The panorama has been clarifying in a better way, today I can say that Kendry, after two years, will go to Chelsea.

“We received some offers for him, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and, well, Chelsea have been the team that showed the most interest. Officials from the team and the doctor came to carry out some tests.”

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The capture of Paez could signal a change in transfer strategy for Chelsea after 12 months of outlandish spending under Boehly.

The American billionaire has signed off on over £550million worth of transfers in less than 12 months, including a record deal for World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez plus other star names like Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Myhailo Mudryk and Kalidou Koulibaly.

But the expensive outlay has not transitioned into performances on the pitch, with Chelsea looking at a bottom-half finish in the Premier League – and no European football next season.

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Reports have suggested that more focus may now be put on Chelsea’s younger players, such as Levi Colwill, who is currently on loan with Brighton, and expected to be part of Pochettino’s first-team plans next season.

Paez has made five appearances for Independiente Del Valle so far this season, scoring once. He has represented Ecuador at under 17 level.