The general manager of Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle has confirmed that the club are close to striking an agreement to sell 15-year-old wonderkid Kendry Paez.
90min reported in February that Paez had attracted significant interest from a number of Premier League clubs, with Chelsea understood to have moved closest to striking a deal by lodging a bid for the teenage midfielder.
Chelsea have remained in talks with Independiente del Valle ever since, looking to finalise a deal for a player who is widely seen to be one of South America’s brightest young prospects.
Now, Independiente del Valle chief Santiago Morales has confirmed that a deal has almost been reached to sell Paez, although he declined to mention with which club he has been speaking.
“There are no pre-contracts,” Morales told Mach Deportes. “The interested clubs continue to find out how to negotiate with Kendry Paez.
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“There is a club with which we are in advanced conversations and we agree on the value of Kendry Paez.”
Morales also backed Paez to make a significant impact in this season’s Copa Libertadores, with the Ecuadorian starlet’s stock continuing to rise.
“Surely Kendry will play in the Copa Libertadores and don’t be surprised if he plays a great game against Corinthians,” he added.
Chelsea have made an effort to recruit a number of the game’s top youngsters this season and have not shied away from paying significant fees to land their targets, with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesar Casadei costing close to £40m combined.
Paez is a key target for Chelsea’s new recruitment team and it appears as though they are close to getting a deal done.
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