Chelsea look set to continue with their major rebuild plans which involves signing the next generation of talent from all across the footballing world. Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Gabriel Slonina and Cesare Casadei, all under 20 when signed, have arrived at Stamford Bridge in the last few months and the latest talent for the future has been identified.
Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez, who is just 15, could become the next major signing for the future made by Chelsea. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are closing in on verbal agreement with Independiente del Valle to sign the teenager.
Paez was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador's second-largest city, and has been part of the youth setup at Independiente del Valle, a club located just outside the nation's capital of Quito, for much of his life.
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Paez first made an impact at international level and has since made five appearances and scoring three goals for Ecuador's U-17s. His breakout moment at club level came in Salzburg at the Next Generation Trophy that same year. Paez could have featured in a major tournament this year, however, he was blocked from featuring for his country in the South American U-20 Championship to facilitate his transition into the first team.
While that tournament would not normally be picked up hugely in the mainstream it was a competition being eagerly watched by Chelsea fans as Andrey Santos, one of their January signings, was captaining Brazil.
Santos guided his national team to the title as the top scorer in the competition. Vitor Roque was another player with a host of eyes on him as Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona all hope to sign him in the coming windows.
Chelsea moving quickly to sign Paez is another statement of intent that Todd Boehly and co. wish to set up a project that allows the club to dominate for many years. Real Madrid beat the Blues to signing Palmeiras wonderkid Endrick, but this time Chelsea look as though they've been able to get the jump on several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
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