Independiente del Valle confirm agreement with Chelsea for Kendry Páez

Chelsea were rumored to have beaten out “up to a dozen” other teams to win a game the signature of budding teenage sensation Kendry Páez a couple months ago, and that has now been pretty much confirmed by the manager himself of Independiente del Valle as well.

Of course, Kendry is still a couple weeks shy of his 16th birthday, let alone his 18th when he will be allowed to legally transfer internationally, so we won’t get to see him in a Chelsea shirt for a while longer. But hopefully he will continue his development trajectory at Independiente until then.

“It is something that we have already been talking about on some occasions, a few months ago. There is a specific interest from Chelsea, it is practically arranged between the parties,

“Legally we are looking at the instrument that must be made, he is a 15-year-old boy. FIFA prohibits this type of negotiation. We are going to be fortunate to be able to enjoy him at least two and a little more years until he turns 18 and he can go.”

That sounds a bit shady, but is something that Real Madrid, for example, have utilized to great effect to acquire Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Endrick in recent years. As long as you make the correct bet, the payoff can be amazing.

Kendry’s transfer fee is said to be around the €20m mark, which isn’t nothing, but if he indeed turns out to be not only the next Messi, but maybe even better than Messi, it’ll be an absolute bargain. And if he turns out to be just a great attacking midfielder, it will be a great deal as well.

“You have to see the legal issue and obviously a transfer contract cannot be signed, maybe some agreement, and that is what Chelsea is finding out both in their league, in their federation and in FIFA to be able to direct this transfer that would be unprecedented in Ecuadorian soccer. We are sure that it will be the first of many more.

“I know that Kendry is going to be a great ambassador for all Ecuadorian players, I’m talking about all the players who have this chance to make the leap and at such a young age. You have to take advantage of these days and these tournaments that people attend to enjoy themselves because he really is a great player, a great boy.”

-Santiago Morales; source: Marca 90 / RTS via Afición Central (Google Translate)

Kendry looks to be the latest outstanding product of Independiente’s renowned academy, following the likes of Jefferson Montero, Moisés Caicedo, and Piero Hincapié, and hopefully he can dazzle us indeed in a Blue shirt in a few years.