Brazilian club Fluminense F.C. have confirmed the sale of 19-year-old forward Kenedy, with Chelsea FC reported to be his likely destination, whilst the Blues confirm loan of former U21 captain Lewis Baker
Chelseaa s veritable army of loanees could well have a new addition in the near future, with Brazilian outfit Fluminense confirming the sale of Brazil U20 international Kenedy. Although no specific club was mentioned in the confirmation by Fluminense, Brazilian media outlet Globo Esporte claim his destination is likely to be Stamford Bridge.
According to Globo Esporte, the playera s rights were collectively owned by Fluminense, BMG bank, and Kenedya s manager Evandro Ferreira. It appears now that Fluminense have sold their rights to a group of third-party investors for $10m, who in turn will sell the player to Chelsea FC.
Barcelona-based newspaper SPORT claim the Catalan giants had first refusal on the player, but decided against activating that option. The 19-year-old is a quick, physical striker with a ferocious left-foot, often drawing comparisons to Zenit star Hulk. Although scheduled to appear in this summera s U20 World Cup, an operation for appendicitis ruled him out of the tournament.
Kenedy is unlikely to be part of Chelseaa s first-team squad any time soon, mainly due to the considerable legal difficulties involved. With no appearances yet for the senior Brazil team, the Blues would find it difficult to secure a work permit immediately, meaning that a potential loan to Dutch feeder club Vitesse Arnhem is on the cards.
One player who will definitely be wearing Vitessea s colours next season is England U20 international and former Chelsea FC U21 captain Lewis Baker. The Blues confirmed on Friday that Baker would spend the 2015/2016 season on loan in the Eredivisie.
Lewis Baker will spend the 2015/16 season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem… http://t.co/3XpqEFCnvF #CFC pic.twitter.com/qHoLktFqWb
a Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 26, 2015
The loan would present the Englishman with his first opportunity to play top flight football, with the midfieldera s previous loans to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday and more prominently, to League One side MK Dons bringing a modest amount of success.
Baker, a truly two-footed central midfielder with a propensity for scoring spectacular goals, will be looking to make an impression at Vitesse with the long-term view of making the breakthrough into Chelseaa s first team. The Eredivisie is, in many ways, an ideal place for the development of young footballers a particularly technically and tactically, and the 20-year-old will be hoping to challenge former U21 team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek for a place in Jos Mourinho’s first-team squad in the not-too-distant future.
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