Chelsea Sign Lesley Ugochukwu For €27m But Mauricio Pochettino Has Not Yet Decided If He Will Stay This Summer Or Leave On Loan

Chelsea have signed Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes for €27m but Mauricio Pochettino hasn't yet decided if he'll play for the Blues next season or go out on loan.

Nineteen-year-old Lesley Ugochukwu has been announced as Chelsea's fifth signing of the summer.

Ugochukwu's move to Stamford Bridge comes after Chelsea had already signed Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, France forward Christopher Nkunku, Portugal U21 winger Diego Moreira and Brazilian teenager Angelo Gabriel since the end of last season.

French midfielder Ugochukwu has joined the Blues from Ligue 1 side Rennes for a transfer fee of €27 million, according to BBC Sport.

A Chelsea statement revealed that Ugochukwu has signed a seven-year contract, including an option for the club to extend it by a further 12 months.

A new Blue in town! 🔵

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 1, 2023

Ugochukwu made 44 Ligue 1 appearances for Rennes over the past two seasons but it remains to be seen whether he will play for Chelsea during the upcoming 2023/24 campaign.

Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has said that Ugochukwu will be assessed over the next four weeks, before either being retained or sent out on loan.

Pochettino, speaking on Tuesday, told ChelseaFC.com: "Today is going to be his first training session with us. He is a young and talented player. We don't know if we have the possibility for him to play tomorrow [against Borussia Dortmund] but we will assess him.

"Now it is time to assess him until the end of the transfer window, and see if he is going to be with us or go on loan."

Chelsea recently won the first edition of the Premier League Summers Series in the USA.

Pochettino's side will begin the new EPL season on August 13 with a home game against Liverpool.

Lesley Ugochukwu pictured playing for Rennes in Ligue 1 during the 2022/23 season :: IMAGO/PanoramiC/Federico Pestellini