When will Kendry Paez join Chelsea?
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 15 Oct 2023 17:28 BST
- 4 min read
Kendry Paez is one of the most exciting young talents in world football and Chelsea are delighted they were able to agree a €20 million deal for the Ecuadorian back in March 2023.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea will pay a fixed fee of €10m for Paez with €10m in potential add-ons. Furthermore, the Blues reportedly believe that Paez is already worth a vast amount more and would cost a far higher fee if they were attempting to agree a deal now.
Chelsea’s ‘Project 2030’ has seen an influx of young talents arrive at Stamford Bridge and Paez will become the latest when he turns 18.
The Ecuadorian wonderkid - who can play as an attacking midfielder or as a right winger - is currently 16 years old and will turn 18 on 4 May 2025.
READ MORE: How much have Chelsea spent on transfers under Todd Boehly?
Why is Kendry Paez not at Chelsea yet?
Official FIFA rules state that international transfers are not allowed before the player turns 18. Therefore, Paez will not be able to join Chelsea until he is 18 years old and he will officially join Chelsea in 2025.
When will Kendry Paez make his Chelsea debut?
Paez will be able to join Chelsea’s first-team in 2025, but due to his birthday it’s unlikely he will be involved in any capacity until the 2025-26 pre-season.
The Ecuadorian will likely be included in Chelsea’s plans for that pre-season and will be able to make his competitive Blues debut at the start of the 2025-26 season if he is not loaned out to another club.
¡Con este gol de @latri, Kendry Páez se metió en la historia: es el jugador más joven en anotar en #EliminatoriasSudamericanas! 👏🇪🇨#CreeEnGrande pic.twitter.com/RqZHdzM4BH
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) October 13, 2023
Will Kendry Paez join Strasbourg on loan?
Todd Boehly’s ambition of creating a multi-club model with Chelsea has seen him purchase Ligue 1 club Strasbourg and the Blues now have the potential of using the French side as a development platform for their young talents.
Angelo Gabriel is currently on loan at Strasbourg following his summer move from Santos and he won Ligue 1’s September ‘Young Player of the Month’ award after a brilliant set of performances in France.
As a result, there is a possibility that Paez will join Strasbourg on loan when he turns 18, but Chelsea may also decide to keep him involved in the first-team.
It’s likely the Blues will assess him during the 2025 pre-season before making a decision on whether to loan him out or give him a role in the first-team.
What records has Kendry Paez set?
As one of the most prodigious talents of his generation, it’s little surprise that Paez has set multiple records despite still being a teenager.
On 12 October 2023, Paez became the youngest ever player to score in a South American World Cup qualifying match.
The Independiente del Valle wonderkid netted the opener in Ecuador’s 2-1 win over Bolivia at just 16 years and 161 days old. The match was just his second ever start for Ecuador’s senior team.
Furthermore, Paez is the youngest appearance-maker and youngest scorer in the Ecuadorian top flight after he scored on his debut in the competition at 15 years old.
The soon-to-be Chelsea star is also the youngest ever goal-scorer in the history of the FIFA U20 World Cup after he bagged in the tournament aged just 16 earlier in 2023.
