The transfer of Ecuadorian rising starKendry Paez – who is, of course, owned by Chelsea –from Strasbourg to River Plate for the 2026 season in Argentina (in South America, leagues run on the calendar year) looks set to act as a bridgehead for a deal between theBlues and theMillonarios:the clubs under Todd Boehly’s ownership will exchange their best young players, creating two fast-track routes to London.
In this way, from Buenos Aires they will be able to inform Chelsea of offers for the best available talents, and the Blues will be able to match them and secure the best reinforcements. Or, ‘park’ them at Strasbourg if the leap to a big club seems too big at first. Those who need more playing time, however, as was the case in the recent past with Andrey Santos, Anselmino and Barco, to name but a few, could go out on loan to the Monumental as well as to France. The problem? The fans.