Chelsea are close to reaching an agreement with Aston Villa over the signing of teenager Omari Kellyman for £19m according to reports.
Having pulled out of a deal for Michael Olise it appears the Blues are wasting no time in adding another addition to their squad.
Chelsea need to add reinforcements to a squad that finished sixth last season if they are to get back into the Champions League under new manager Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea close in on £19m Kellyman signing
Having missed out on Olise, Chelsea have been strongly linked with Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran and Atletico Madrid’s Samu Omorodion, but it appears their next signing will actually be another Villa player.
The Athletic have reported that the Blues are closing in an agreement with Villa for 18-year-old Kellyman for £19m.
The reports adds that the finer details still need to be sorted out between the clubs and the player, with Kellyman needing to undergo a medical and complete personal terms before any deal can be completed.
Kellyman joined Villa two years ago from the Derby academy, and penned a long term contract with the club last October.
The teenager made two appearances in the Premier League last season, and made his debut in the defeat against Manchester City in April.
The Telegraph report that Kellyman can play in a variety of different attacking positions, and his profile has been likened to that of former Chelsea player Kai Havertz.
He would be the second highly rated youngster to swap Villa Park for Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Carney Chukwuemeka in the summer of 2022.
In other business between the two clubs, Ian Maatsen is set to complete his £37.5m move to Villa imminently, having agreed personal terms on a six year contract.
What this deal means for Chelsea’s pursuit of Jhon Duran remains to be seen, but it looks like we could be in for another summer of largely recruiting unproven players.
