Chelsea have wrapped up a deal to sign Senegalese midfielder Pape Daouda Diong after welcoming him to Stamford Bridge this month, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.
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Since he will not turn 18 until June, Diong will have to wait until the summer to formally complete his transfer to Chelsea.
He will be arriving from the Academie Foot Darou Salam in his native country after establishing himself as a decent prospect.
Diong was a member of Senegal’s squad at the recent under-17 World Cup. Chelsea had five representatives at the tournament in the England team.
Their plans for Diong after welcoming him next summer are yet to be determined. They could theoretically send him out on loan or develop him in their academy if they do not feel he is one for the first team immediately.
Chelsea have already invested heavily in their midfield this year to welcome players like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu.
Lavia and Ugochukwu are both 19, which represents how they have been keeping an eye on the long-term future with their investments.
They also have prospects like Cesare Casadei and Andrey Santos out on loan, at Leicester City and Nottingham Forest respectively, though one of those spells is going far better than the other.
Many of the players Chelsea have signed in the Todd Boehly era have put pen to paper on long-term contracts. Romano has not provided any details of how long Diong’s commitment will last.
Chelsea looking at long term again
This is not the first example of them agreeing to sign a player before they are actually able to integrate them.
For example, they also announced the signing of Kendry Paez in the summer, but that deal can only be completed in 2025 when the South American starlet reaches adulthood.
Chelsea were keen to do something similar with Palmeiras striker Endrick, but missed out to Real Madrid in that instance.
Nevertheless, they are keeping their horizons broad as they aim to restore their position of power in English football over the years to come.