Chelsea transfer news: Blues agree £23.1m deal to sign Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes

Chelsea transfer news, the Blues have agreed a deal to sign midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes for €27m (£23.1m).

According to The Athletic, Chelsea have paid £23.5 million to sign Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. The move came as a surprise as the Blues had been working behind the scenes to seal an agreement with the Ligue 1 side for the 19-year-old.

The Blues are yet to decide whether the 19-year-old will go into Mauricio Pochettino's first-team squad or go out on loan.

A temporary move to Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 side in which Chelsea own a majority stake, has been mooted.

He has established himself as a key player for Rennes, who will now receive £23.5 million from Chelsea for the midfielder. The 19-year-old is not the signing fans may have wanted, but if the Blues decide to keep him and integrate him into the first-team squad, they will have good depth in the position.

The 19-year-old predominantly plays as a holding midfielder and has won six caps for France U19s.

In other Chelsea transfer news, Ugochukwu's arrival would continue the overhaul of Chelsea's midfield, with Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and N'Golo Kante all leaving the club this summer.

Earlier this week, Brighton rejected a second, increased offer from Chelsea for midfielder Moises Caicedo worth £80m.

Last week, the Seagulls snubbed a £70m offer from Chelsea for a player they value in the region of £100m.

One source had told Sky Sports News that Brighton value Caicedo, who was signed from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle for £4.5m in 2021, in the same bracket as Arsenal's record signing Declan Rice and will look to get in the region of £100m for him.

It is thought Chelsea were getting encouragement that the 21-year-old would join them if a deal can be agreed between the clubs, with personal terms not expected to be a problem.

Sky Sports News understands there are no active talks between the clubs currently.