Chelsea transfer news: £19m deal agreed for Aston Villa prospect Omari Kellyman
Chelsea reached an agreement to pay Aston Villa £19 million for promising young player Omari Kellyman. Additionally, Ian Maatsen is close to finalizing his transfer to the Midlands.
Kellyman, an emerging 18-year-old forward, was highly regarded at Villa Park and Chelsea showed interest in him back in January, with the transfer becoming official this month.
Chelsea is still interested in Villa's forward Jhon Duran, but they are being cautious and not rushing into any decisions. They are looking into his background and personal details before moving forward. The club is also considering other strikers, such as Maximilian Beier from Hoffenheim and Jonathan David from Lille.
Recently, Chelsea closed the deal for Kellyman. He will be signing a contract for six years with a possible extension of 12 months. Villa had originally valued him at £20 million.
It is anticipated that Kellyman will be part of Chelsea's main squad for the pre-season training, but there is a possibility that he may be sent on loan in the upcoming season in order to gain more professional experience and be ready for the next campaign.
Villa is set to complete the signing of Maatsen for £37.5 million in a separate agreement. The transfer is expected to be finalized soon, but the club also needs to offload players to meet financial regulations.
In a market where there is a shortage of buyers and sellers, clubs are having to generate cash flow by making deals for players to go in different directions in separate transfers.
Kellyman became a part of Villa's team two years ago after playing for Derby County. He committed to a long-term contract with the club in October and finally got the chance to play in the Premier League during the match against Manchester City in April.
The young person has the ability to play in several different offensive roles and is considered to be a similar type of player as Kai Havertz, versatile enough to play as a number 10, on the wings, or as a false nine.
Chelsea thinks that he is one of the most promising young players in the country and decided to sign him early in order to avoid potentially losing out to other teams in the future.
Villa Eyeing Transfer Window Deals
Kellyman is the latest talented young player to transfer from Villa to Chelsea, following Carney Chukwuemeka's move for £20 million in August 2022.
Villa have had good discussions with left-back Maatsen after coming to an agreement with Chelsea, and they anticipate finalizing the transfer very soon.
The team has also inquired about Conor Gallagher, who is currently playing with England at the European Championship. Gallagher has also caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid.
In addition to Duran, Chelsea have also asked about 20-year-old Atletico Madrid forward Samu Omorodion and are intrigued by Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke, who was part of Chelsea's youth program.
Beier is among the strikers that Chelsea is interested in, after scoring 16 goals in the Bundesliga last season. There are also reports from Spain linking Chelsea to Barcelona's 18-year-old forward Marc Guiu, who is also being monitored by Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich is close to finalizing an agreement with Michael Olise, who Chelsea had initially inquired about to Crystal Palace. However, Chelsea decided to withdraw from the potential deal due to Olise's high salary demands.
Chelsea will continue to try to recruit a winger this summer and will now probably consider right-footed players to improve the balance of their team for their new head coach, Enzo Maresca.
Villa's plan for the transfer window has mainly involved making deals with other clubs. Douglas Luiz is likely to move to Juventus in exchange for some players coming to Villa, and Tim Iroegbunam has already signed with Everton, with Lewis Dobbin set to join Villa Park. Additionally, Villa will be bringing in Ross Barkley from Luton Town.
Young Brazilian winger Estevao Willian is set to transfer to Chelsea next year. Additionally, Chelsea is currently negotiating to bring in promising Argentine defender Aaron Anselmino.
Chelsea has reached an agreement to acquire 17-year-old Estevao from Palmeiras for an initial payment of £29 million, along with additional bonuses based on performance and appearances.
At the same time, 19-year-old Anselmino has received a formal proposal from Boca Juniors, believed to be valued between £12m and £15m.
