Chelsea have confirmed that attacking midfielder Kendry Paez has joined RC Strasbourg on loan. The Ecuadorian joins fellow youngster Mike Penders at the Ligue 1 outfit.
Paez is expected to have Mamadou Sarr follow him back to France with Mathis Amougou having already been sold to his former side earlier in the window. Amougou was only signed by Chelsea in January.
Due to loan rules, Chelsea can only send three players to any one club at the same time, and will not be able to add to Kendry, Penders, and Sarr, once the latter is announced.
There are a total of six allowed international loans, three of which Chelsea are likely to use up with Strasbourg. It explains their decision to sell Amougou rather than loan him back.
Earlier this week, Chelsea also saw teenage defender Ishe Samuels-Smith depart for Strasbourg on a permanent deal. He is another who will line up with Paez in an exciting team under Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea made the exit of former Under-21/Development Side coach Filipe Coelho public on Tuesday. He is another to make the swap to Strasbourg, where he will take the step into senior football next to Rosenior as assistant.
As for Paez, he will be looking to continue his development in a first chance to play in Europe. Having agreed to join Chelsea in January 2023, leaving Independiente del Valle, he has been training at Cobham and at Strasbourg in 2025 in order to acclimatise to his new surroundings.
Chelsea set the plan in motion to send him to Strasbourg before the turn of the year, opting to have him not play for Independiente in their 2025 season. He is an Ecuardor international, where he plays alongside Moises Caicedo.
Paez is on an eight-year contract at Chelsea until 2033 and was not eligible to play for them until his 18th birthday, which came in May. He is viewed as one of the standout players in South America for his age group after making a breakthrough in adult football in 2023 when he was still just 16.
The teenager has scored 13 times for Independiente from 70 appearances. Chelsea have made further strides into their youth recruitment drive across the world, buying Estevao Willian and Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors (Argentina) and Palmeiras (Brazil).
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