Chelsea appear to have already wrapped up their first signing of the summer transfer window, beating Manchester United in the process. The Blues have been linked with a number of exciting players recently, with Mauricio Pochettino expected to be given a war chest upon his arrival.
football.london understands that the west Londoners have agreed a deal to make the 51-year-old the club's new manager. After weeks of positive talks and negotiations between the two parties, Pochettino is set to takeover from Frank Lampard at the end of the season.
It's believed that the Argentine is yet to put pen to paper, but he's expected to do so in the coming days. He will have a full pre-season to get his feet under the table and begin planning for next season.
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Chelsea seem eager to wrap up as much business as possible in the early weeks of the summer, allowing Pochettino sufficient time to decide his best squad. And, the first player to join the Argentine's project could be is Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle.
The 16-year-old wonderkid, who is valued at £17.6million, has been heavily linked with a move to west London for a while now and the Ecuadorian club has confirmed his eventual switch. In an interview with El Canal Del Futbol, as quoted by ESPN, the Independiente del Valle director revealed that Chelsea also beat United to the forward's signature.
"Now comes the legal issue," said Santiago Morales. "We can’t sign a contract because of Kendry’s age. The panorama has been clarifying in a better way, today I can say that Kendry, after two years, will go to Chelsea.
"We received some offers for him, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and, well, Chelsea have been the team that showed the most interest. Officials from the team and the doctor came to carry out some tests."
Speaking on 'The Kelly and Wrighty show' earlier this month, Ian Wright predicted Pochettino to be a great success at Stamford Bridge due to the number of young players waiting to be taken to the next level. The former Arsenal striker: "Can you imagine, if Pochettino went to Chelsea, with the young players he has got and the fact that he is so good with that kind of player?
"That progressive young player. When you look at the dressing room he has left, with respect to dealing with Neymar, Messi and Mbappe. The way he can manage that situation, with young players, with Harry Kane and with the players Chelsea have got.
"That’s scary. That could be scary for someone. If he had to sit down with somebody, you probably think Mauricio could tempt him there. You are talking about the legacy of Spurs.
"That’s the thing that would bother him, more than anything. He is loyal. Would he want to go all the way to Manchester [and leave London]?"
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