Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu is set to join Southampton on a season-long loan deal.
Ugochukwu signed for Chelsea in a £23.1m deal from Rennes last summer but endured a frustrating first season in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old started just three Premier League fixtures and totalled only 298 minutes of league action, with a hamstring injury sidelining the Frenchman for an extended period.
Chelsea are now set to sanction a loan exit with newly-promoted Southampton closing in on a deal. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed a loan transfer is close, though the deal will not include a purchase option with Chelsea retaining belief in Ugochukwu being a part of the club’s long-term plans.
Ugochukwu has recently returned from representing France at this summer’s Olympic tournament in Paris, where Thierry Henry’s side finished as runners-up to Spain to claim the silver medal.
He will become Southampton’s 10th first-team signing of an active summer as Russell Martin looks to consolidate the newly-promoted Saints back in the Premier League.
Southampton have re-signed Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes on permanent deals after their roles in promotion while on loan at St Mary’s, while Ben Brereton Diaz has joined from Villarreal after impressing on loan at Sheffield United in the Premier League in 2023/24.
Elsewhere, Charlie Taylor and Yukinari Sugawara have bolstered the full-back positions and former favourite Adam Lallana has returned to the club to add experience in midfield.
For Chelsea. Ugochukwu’s exit will help reduce a squad bloated by the club’s heavy recruitment in recent transfer windows.
The Blues have more than 40 first-team players in their current squad, with only 25 – including eight homegrown players – able to be registered for the Premier League campaign. Players aged under 21 are exempt from registration rules.
