Barcelona are ‘hurt a lot’ as Chelsea have reportedly ‘reached a transfer agreement’ with Independiente del Valle for Kendry Paez.
Chelsea have ‘thrown the house out the window’ to land the 15-year-old, who has already made three senior appearances for the Ecuadorian side, scoring on his debut.
That’s alerted some of the top clubs from across Europe, including Barcelona and Chelsea, according to a ‘confidential’ report from Sport (via Sport Witness).
Barcelona’s financial situation prevents them from making an approach for Paez, who turns 16 next month, which has left the door open for the Blues.
The report claims the Spanish giants are ‘hurt a lot’ over missing out on the attacking midfielder having collated positive reports about him.
Chelsea have ‘reached a transfer agreement’ for around €20m, which is an extraordinary amount of money for someone who won’t be able to arrive at Stamford Bridge until he turns 18.
The report namechecks Andrey Santos – who was signed by Chelsea for around £11m from Vasco da Gama in January – as another player wanted by Barcelona, who will miss out on another ‘jewel’ in Paez.
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Santos, who was denied a work permit to play for Chelsea this season, looks set to be available to play for the Blues next season having made his senior Brazil debut last month against Morocco.
He said: “I knew I had some chances of not playing [for Chelsea].
“I was confident, but unfortunately I didn’t make it. Life goes on. To be honest, I didn’t know [the requirements] I needed.
“As far as I know, I need to play in Serie A and I need to go to the Under-20s World Cup. I’m pretty calm. I’m doing my best at my club to achieve my goals.
“Since I was a kid it has always been my dream to play in the Premier League and for a European giant like Chelsea, so I’m always following and watching the games and cheering a lot.
“I think I always play with Chelsea [in video games]. My teammates always tease me, my brother-in-law teases me, and I put myself on the team too!”
Asked about which Chelsea stars he’s most most looking forward to playing with, he replied: “It’s hard to say, but I like Thiago Silva a lot, he’s a reference for me. Enzo Fernandez is also a great player. I hope to play alongside him.”
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