Chelsea have fended off Man Utd and Man City to wrap up an agreement with an Ecuadorian attacker, and while the full details of the move have emerged, an arrival will be heavily delayed.

Much has been made of Chelsea’s colossal spend over the previous two transfer windows. However, going under the radar has been the fact Todd Boehly and his Clearlake partners have invested heavily in Chelsea’s future.

Indeed, Chelsea have snapped up some of the most promising talent from across the globe since the regime change.

Goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, right-back Malo Gusto, midfield trio Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Andrey Santos, and striker David Datro Fofana have all arrived at Stamford Bridge. Crucially, all are aged 20 or under and have their best years ahead.

However, the youthful recruitment drive did not end there, with Chelsea locking horns with both Man Utd and Man City for the signing of Ecuadorian wonderkid, Kendry Paez, per Football London.

Paez plays primarily in an attacking midfield position and has already made his senior debut for Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle despite being just 15 years of age.

South American outlet TyC Sport claimed Chelsea had fended off their rivals and struck an agreement to sign Paez in March.

Trusted transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, subsequently reported a €20m package had been agreed and the move was poised to receive approval from both the FA and Premier League.

Those approvals were granted, and Romano revealed on Tuesday evening that Chelsea’s move has been signed, sealed and delivered.

The journalist tweeted all the documented have been signed and Paez has put pen to paper on a ‘long-term contract’.

The fee is roughly €20m, though is heavily weighted towards future add-ons. As such, Chelsea won’t be on the hook for the majority of the roughly £17.6m fee until further down the line.

Romano gave the move his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation, though Chelsea fans have a long wait ahead before seeing Paez up close and personal.

UK work permit laws prevent Paez from moving to the UK for employment until he turns 18.

As such, Romano confirmed Paez will remain in Ecuador until he turns 18, meaning Chelsea must wait until the 2025/26 season before seeing their new gem in action.

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