Chelsea agree £17.6m deal to sign midfielder dubbed ‘next Diego Maradona’ - Reports

Chelsea have reportedly taken a huge step towards signing Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle.

According to Fabrizio Romano (h/t FourFourTwo), the Blues will onboard the 15-year-old when he turns 18 in 2025. The delay is due to the revised Premier League regulations pertaining to signing under-18 players from abroad following the UK's exit from the European Union in 2020.

Chelsea are believed to have agreed on a fee of £17.6 million for Paez, who has elicited comparisons with Diego Maradona from South American journalists. The 5' 8" playmaker is known for his vision, close control, finishing and passing prowess.

The Guayaquil-born Paez has represented Ecuador's U17 team on 11 occasions and has made three senior club appearances this season, scoring once. He would apparently be loaned back to his home continent for a couple of seasons before being given a shot at Premier League football.

Under Todd Boehly, Chelsea have shown a proclivity towards signing young players. Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez, Noni Madueke, David Datro Fofana and Benoit Badiashile arrived in January on exceptionally long-term contracts.

Among them, Fernandez (22) was the oldest when he arrived at Stamford Bridge, while Fofana (June 2029) was handed the shortest contract of the aforementioned lot. Paez could also be handed a six-year long deal, which would be a little longer than the usual four or five-year ones handed out.

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Lampard says Chelsea still have something to play for despite Champions League exit

Chelsea were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals after a 2-0 second-leg (4-0 aggregate) loss against Real Madrid on Tuesday (April 18).

They're now out of all cup competitions and trail fourth-placed Newcastle United, who have a game in hand, by 17 points in the league. The Blues are 11th with 39 points from 31 games.

Caretaker manager Frank Lampard, though, reckons he can use this time to improve the club's level before the start of next season (h/t Metro):

"I just see it as a chance to work here every day, which is a pleasure for me because of my link to the club. I enjoy that side. I don’t like losing games. I came into a team low on confidence, losing a lot of games; we haven’t had time to work."

Lampard, who played 648 games for the Blues, added:

"We now get a little period to work. People on the outside may well write it off, coming in eighth or 12th, or whatever it is. To me, it means a lot. That for me is the challenge; to raise performance."

Chelsea's next assignment is a home game against Brentford in the league on April 26.