They claim that the Premier League giants will look to recall Páez from his current loan spell at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are part of the same ownership group under BlueCo and are now managed by Gary O’Neil. He has featured 14 times, with just four starts.
Should they end his stint in France, he could be sent to Portman Road, which would play into Chelsea’s hands. Clubs are allowed to loan out as many as six players abroad at one time, and Liam Rosenior’s side have already hit that maximum. Recalling Páez and letting him move to the Championship would open up an extra slot.
The 18-year-old joined Chelsea from Independiente del Valle last summer, immediately going out on loan to Strasbourg, where he has scored once so far - in a 3-2 win away at Paris FC back in September.
A left-footed no.10 who can play further forward or wide, Páez boasts 23 senior caps for Ecuador and will hope to represent them at the World Cup next summer.
Liam Rosenior left Strasbourg to take over at Stamford Bridge earlier this week _(Image: PA)_
**Alex’s verdict**
Town seem to like signing young South American attackers on loan in January, having done it in each of the last two years with Jeremy Sarmiento and Julio Enciso.
With [Conor Chaplin set to stay with Portsmouth](https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/25751241.ipswich-town-conor-chaplin-set-continue-loan-spell-portsmouth/?ref=ed_direct), I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see Ipswich in the market for another attacking midfielder. This link does make a lot of sense, even if it’s hard to vouch for the reliability of the source.
Páez would tick a lot of boxes. He’s young, versatile and dynamic. Chelsea hold him in extremely high regard and will be careful when picking the right pathway for his development.
Kieran McKenna did an exceptional job with Omari Hutchinson in the Championship and Chelsea would surely be encouraged by that, although I can’t see Town swooping in and signing him permanently if he did make an initial loan move to Suffolk this month. Perhaps a season-long loan if promotion is secured would be feasible.
While it certainly makes sense for Ipswich, does it for Páez? Playing second-tier football will help him develop in ways he won’t in Ligue 1, but whether he and Chelsea feel that it’s best is another matter. I’m not convinced, assuming there is genuine interest from Town in the first place.
That being said, Chelsea might feel it’s best to rebalance things to maximise their international loan spots.