Chelsea are reportedly close to signing teenage striker Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa for a deal worth around £19m.
Despite the supposed compliance with benefits and sustainability rules, Chelsea continue to spend money on promising young players.
The likes of Deivid Washington, Angelo, Diego Moreira and Cesare Casadei have been signed, and others, such as Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian, will travel to Stamford Bridge in the future.
Carney Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for £20m in the summer of 2022 and the Blues are now back at Villa Park with their sights set on the teenage striker.
According to The Athletic, Enzo Maresca’s team is close to reaching an agreement to sign Kellyman, although the main points will be resolved between the two clubs and the player.
Personal situations must also be agreed with the 18-year-old before passing the medical examination.
Capable of playing in the front row but basically as a centre-forward, Kellyman has made just six senior appearances for Villa since joining their academy in 2022 from County Derby.
They all arrived here last season, but five of them were bench appearances totalling just 63 minutes of action in the Premier League, Europa Conference League and League Cup.
He played the full 90 minutes of the second leg of the Conference League qualifiers against Hibernian last August, assisting Leon Bailey on the second goal in a 3-0 win.
He scored 8 goals in 14 games with Villa’s U21 team and signed a long-term contract with Unai Emery’s team last October.
The move comes days after Villa agreed to sign Ian Maatsen from Chelsea, with the Villans paying more than £35m for the Dutch defender.
It’s great news for Maresca, who have now missed out on main target Michael Olise, with the Crystal Palace talisman set to move to Bayern Munich.
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