Chelsea utility man Ethan Ampadu is reportedly set to join Serie A club, Spezia, on loan with a €15 million option to buy.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Ethan Ampadu is close to leaving Chelsea to join Spezia on a season-long loan deal this summer. The Serie A club and the Blues have fully agreed on a transfer, which will contain a €15 million buy option clause.
The move is far enough advanced that a medical has already been scheduled for the next few days. And the Welsh international could be in action for his new club as early as next weekend if everything goes well.
Ampadu has been with Chelsea since 2017 when he signed from Exeter City but has since failed to establish himself as a first-team regular. He has spent the last three seasons on loan at different clubs, gaining experience around Europe with RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, and Venezia.
Despite being relegated from Serie A, the 21-year-old utility man excelled during his loan stay at Venezia last season, making 29 appearances in a variety of positions ranging from central defence to defensive midfielder and, at times, wing-back.
Spezia are set to sign Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea, been told deal is now progressing to signing stage. More details on deal structure to follow. ⚪️ #CFC
Ampadu has agreed personal terms and full agreement between clubs in place. pic.twitter.com/xupCCygZgF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2022
With Wesley Fofana set to join the Blues from Leicester City before the transfer window deadline on September 1, at least one of Trevoh Chalobah and Ethan Ampadu were expected to leave. And it appears it is going to be the latter, with Chelsea agreeing a loan move for the 21-year-old.
Ampadu, who was originally not handed a squad number by Chelsea this season, is set to head back to Italy. This time he will join a more established Serie A club in Spezia, who will reportedly pay a €1.5 million loan fee and also have a €15 million purchase option, which sounds to be a steal considering his potential and pedigree.
But then again, Spezia only returned to the Italian top-flight in 2020, and they are not the richest club in Serie A. So, they have kind of pushed the boat to seal the deal. The Liguria-based outfit finished 16th in Serie A last term and will strive to improve under new boss Luca Gotti, a former Chelsea assistant under Maurizio Sarri, who urged the Aquile hierarchy to sign the Welsh utility man, who still has two years left on his deal at Stamford Bridge.
Championship outfit Middlesbrough have also been linked with a loan transfer for Ampadu, with the player’s former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder now in charge of Boro. But that would be a step backwards for the 21-year-old Welshman.
Chalobah, unlike Ampadu, does not appear to be heading out on loan anywhere, especially after making his first start of the season last weekend, filling in for the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly. Chalobah has also been linked with a number of Serie A clubs, including both Milan giants, but Chelsea have now blocked a potential exit and have informed his suitors that he will not be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
