When Chelsea paid around $22 million (£17.4 million) to sign 15-year-old Kendry Páez from Independiente del Valle in the summer of 2023, few expected he would be in the situation he faces today.
Ecuador’s youngest-ever player. The second-youngest South American international behind only Diego Maradona. Páez’s journey up to 2025, when he formally joined Chelsea as an 18-year-old, looked to be going seamlessly.