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Chelsea one step closer to Kendry Paez arrival after 'visa accepted'

Chelsea one step closer to Kendry Paez arrival after 'visa accepted'

Chelsea could soon be able to welcome Kendry Paez to Cobham for the first time after his visa was accepted to travel to the UK.

The Ecuadorian talent, 16, has lit up South American football since breaking out at Independiente del Valle earlier in the year.

While Paez continues to make his name, Chelsea can sit back and watch rest assured that he has already signed up with the Blues after an agreement in the summer.

And his arrival took a step closer this week when it was confirmed by Independiente sporting manager Roberto Arroyo that his documentation has been approved.

He told Ecuadorian channel Machdeportes: "We just had Kendry Paez's visa accepted.

"Now we have to wait for Chelsea's plan for him to travel."

Paez will not be able to move to England and play for the Premier League club until his 18th birthday, lining him up for pre-season of the 2025-26 campaign.

But the forward is set to spend time at Cobham at some point after the Ecuadorian season finishes next month.

Already this year, Paez has become his country's youngest-ever international debutant and goalscorer - becoming the second-youngest South American to play internationally behind only Diego Maradona.

Standard Sport reported last month that Chelsea want to continue their strategy of signing the globe's top teenage talents with a move for 15-year-old American prospect Julian Hall.