Lesley Ugochukwu Set To Go On Loan After Joining Chelsea

Nigerian-born Franch midfielder, Lesley Ugochukwu who is on the verge of completing his move to Chelsea, could be sent on loan immediately after sealing the move.

Chelsea are currently undergoing a rebuild of the midfield after losing the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and N’Golo Kante in this summer transfer window.

Before now, Chelsea have been trying to bring in Brighton and Ecuadorian defensive midfielder, Moises Caicedo but Brighton are yet to reach an agreement with Chelsea for the midfielder.

Recently, Brighton turned down Chelsea’s £80 million bid for Moises Caicedo, stressing that the midfielder is worth around £100 million, a fee Chelsea seem unwilling to pay.

Amidst that, Chelsea have gone on shopping for alternative midfielders and they have stumbled to 19-year-old Lesley Ugochukwu.

Lesley Ugochukwu was born to Nigerian parents in France and he is a product of Rennes football academy where he also began his professional football career.

Chelsea have agreed to pay Rennes €27 million for Ugochukwu who is said to be the nephew of former Rennes and Nigeria centre-back Onyekachi Apam.

Naija News gathered that the Premier League giants are yet to decide whether the 19-year-old will go into Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team squad for the 2023-2024 season or go out on loan.

While Chelsea are still considering the best way to use Lesley Ugochukwu, there are reports that the club might send him on loan to French Ligue 1 club, Strasbourg, a side owned by the current owners of Chelsea, Todd Boehly and consortium.

Ugochukwu is on the verge of leaving Rennes for Chelsea after playing 35 times for the club last season and also playing 60 games in all competitions since he made his senior debut for the French side.

He is eligible to play for France, his country of birth, and Nigeria, his ancestral home. However, Ugochukwu is more likely to play for France since he is currently representing the country at youth level.