Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Nigeria midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from French Ligue 1 club Rennes.
The Blues paid €27 million for the 19-year-old who is the nephew of former Super Eagles defender, Onyekachi Apam.
The deal comes a few days after Mauricio Pochettino called on the club to bolster their midfield options ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Christian Pulisic, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount left Stamford Bridge this summer as Chelsea clear out their bloated squad.
It is unclear if the Nigeria star will fight for a starting place at Stamford Bridge or he will be sent on loan to Ligue 1 club Strasbourg where Chelsea owners have the majority stake.
Ugochukwu rose through the youth ranks at Rennes and he played 35 matches for the French club in all competitions last season.
Ugochukwu currently plays for France U19 with six appearances under his belt but he is still eligible to play for Nigeria on the international scene.
