Chelsea’s recent influx of player sales has seen promising young midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu set for a move to recently-promoted Premier League side Burnley.
The Frenchman sits way down in the pecking order for players in his position, with Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos set for big seasons at Stamford Bridge.
Ugochukwu has been given permission to undergo a medical at Turf Moor, and could be about to join up with Armando Broja again. The striker is also set to join Burnley this summer.
While he spent the whole of last season on loan at Southampton, Ugochukwu played a key part in Enzo Maresca’s first pre-season in charge of the squad, scoring a couple of goals.
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Chelsea supporters worried about Lesley Ugochukwu’s move to Burnley
Despite Chelsea being set to receive more than £20m for Ugochukwu, not all supporters are convinced the income is worth the sale.
Fans have taken to social media to express their concern at letting the youngster leave, believing he will be worth a lot more money in a few seasons’ time.
One user said: “I’ll be so honest, Lesley Ugochukwu to Burnley is going to be one of the most underrated transfers of this window. Burnley have got such a good player on their hands, really good signing for them.”
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Another added: “For what it’s worth, I reckon Lesley Ugochukwu could easily be a 60-70m transfer from Burnley to another Prem team in the next few years.”
A third stated: “I’m a huge fan of Ugochukwu and I still think his profile would have been a perfect fit for us, but clearly the club didn’t. He showed a lot of development with all that playing time in the second half of last season. Good thing we’re absolutely stacked in midfield.”
I'm a huge fan of Ugochukwu and I still think his profile would have been a perfect fit for us, but clearly the club didn't. He showed a lot of development with all that playing time in the second half of last season.
Good thing we're absolutely stacked in midfield. https://t.co/ZwRqW0UTQK
— Chelsea Loan Army (@ChelseaIoanArmy) August 4, 2025
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Another user claimed: “Lesley is a 50 mill asset currently. Obviously won’t get anywhere near that for him, so I’m expecting a huge sell on clause (30-40%)”
Finally, one user said: “Honestly speaking, I think Ugochukwu would have been a better fit for now for the squad than Essugo , Essugo still needs more development, Ugochukwu is ready now.”
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Chelsea’s stance on Ugochukwu
Despite being happy to accept a bid for the midfielder who joined the club back in 2023, it is not because they believe he is not a quality player.
Chelsea compared Ugochukwu to Aurelien Tchouameni when he arrived, and there were no issues with him amongst his teammates either.
Ugochukwu was well-liked at Chelsea, however would have been facing a real battle for minutes with the current options at the club.
There are currently no concrete links about signing a new midfielder, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka are set to move on permanent deals too.