Chelsea have agreed to pay Rennes €27 million for midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu.

The Blues are to decide whether to bring the 19-year-old into Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team squad or loan him out to gain more experience and football playing time.

Sky Sports reported that Ugochukwu came through the academy at Rennes and has gone on to make 60 appearances for the club, including 35 in all competitions last season.

The 19-year-old with a Nigerian background predominantly plays as a defensive midfielder and has won six caps for France U19s.

The Chelsea new boy is also the nephew of Onyekachi Apam – who used to play for Nigeria and Rennes – and is of Nigerian descent, according to chelseachronicle.com.

The Blues have been working to strengthen their midfield following the departure of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and N’Golo Kante.

Chelsea have also been pushing for the signature of more players. In recent days, Brighton rejected a fresh and increased offer for midfielder Moises Caicedo worth £80m.

Brighton hope to sell Caicedo for around £100m. He was signed from the Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle for £4.5m in 2021.