Chelsea and Leeds United agree a deal for Wales international Ethan Ampadu
Chelsea have confirmed the departure of defender Ethan Ampadu after agreeing a £10m deal (with add-ons) with Leeds United. The Blues have included a sell-on clause in the deal.
Evening Standard revealed that Ampadu was a subject of interest from clubs in the Premier League, Italy and Spain but an offer from the Championship side Leeds was concrete and got accepted.
The Welsh international was part of the Chelsea pre-season squad under Mauricio Pochettino in the first week. But, the club were always in favour of cashing him in this summer.
Ampadu was an Academy product of Exeter City before moving to Chelsea in 2017. He found game time at Stamford Bridge very tough to come by, hence spent most of the time out on loan.
The 22-year-old has had loan spells at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia Calcio before getting a permanent move to Leeds done this time around.
The Welshman is a versatile defender who is predominantly a centre-back but can operate as a right-back and a defensive midfielder. He is an experienced international player with 43 senior appearances for his country and would bring strength in depth to the Whites squad.
Keeping in mind that Ampadu hasn’t got enough credentials of remaining in the Chelsea book, it is the right decision to sell him this summer with his contract expiring next year (Transfermarkt).
The Blues might dip in the market to sign a defender, however, after seeing Wesley Fofana pick up a nasty ACL injury that is set to make him miss the majority of the upcoming season.
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- Chelsea star Wesley Fofana could miss the entire 2023–24 season after ACL problem
It remains to be seen whether Pochettino would like to sign a new centre-back or is content with the options he has at the moment. Regardless of that, the absence of Fofana will be huge and we should be on the lookout for a temporary placeholder solution until the former Leicester City star returns to action.