Chelsea’s transfer window continues to rage on with yet another signing set to come through the door – with Fabrizio Romano stating that Aston Villa youngster Omari Kellyman is set to walk through the Stamford Bridge doors in a £19million move
Having already confirmed the signing of Palmeiras youngster Willian Estevao on Saturday in a £34million deal, the Blues are continuing to look towards the future as they have done under Todd Boehly by signing the young Brazilian. But their capture of youthful talent will not stop there, with Kellyman said to be on route to the London giants in the next week – departing Villa after just a two-year affiliation with the club.
Romano tweeted his ‘Here we go!’ catchphrase on Sunday afternoon, with the update that a move for Kellyman to Stamford Bridge was in place, as terms had been agreed by both clubs and Kellyman himself ahead of a move to west London
There is a verbal agreement on a £19million fee for the youngster, despite his lack of first-team minutes at Villa Park – though he will sign a six-year contract to run through to 2030, with the Blues having a further year’s option by the time his contract comes to an end at the turn of the decade.
With Ian Maatsen headed the other way in a £37.5million deal that will see the Dutchman move to the Champions League outfit, Romano states that the two deals are separate despite being dealt between both clubs in the same week – and Kellyman will undergo his medical on Monday before confirming his place in a Chelsea side that is evidently focusing on nurturing young talent for the years to come.
In the past 12 months alone, the Blues have signed various players aged 21 or younger; Cole Palmer is the most high-profile signing of the lot, though though Diego Moreira, Angelo Gabriel, Lesley Ugochukwu, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Deivid Washington have all come into the squad in the last year.
Kellyman Fee Seems Unusually High
The fee for Kellyman is quite bizarre, to say the least. The Derby-born star came through the ranks at Pride Park, though he made the switch to Villa Park in the summer of 2022 with Derby County going through financial turmoil that saw them lose the likes of Morgan Whittaker, Kaide Gordon and Kellyman in the years leading up to their return to the Championship, which was secured this season.
He didn’t make a single first-team appearance for the Rams before departing for Villa, and he only made 10 ‘Premier League 2’ appearances for the Midlands outfit in the 2022/23 season, meaning that he only made his first-team debut this time around
Kellyman did record an assist in the 3-0 win over Hibernian in the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds back in August, alongside two Premier League appearances this season – both coming in drubbings away to Manchester City and Crystal Palace with appearances off the bench when Villa were already dead and Buried
But apart from fleeting cameos in the Conference League with Villa already 4-0 up against Ajax and 2-0 down to Olympiacos – both totalling just 11 minutes – he’s only featured in 153 minutes of first-team football, and so the £19million fee does seem wild for a star who has had extremely little first-team experience.
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