Chelsea have on Tuesday confirmed the transfer of Mathis Amougou from Saint-Etienne.
Sources told ESPN the deal for the midfielder is worth in the region of €15 million ($15.5m), and that the 19-year-old midfielder is more likely to join the Blues' first-team setup immediately as opposed to joining Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg on loan, but either way the initial deal is expected to be completed before Monday's deadline.
On Monday, Chelsea recalled striker David Fofana from Goztepe SK, which could be a sign the club are making space in their loans for Amougou should the club go for the latter option.
Amougou, a youth international for France, broke into Saint-Etienne's first team in 2023 and has made 17 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season.
The move would be in line with Chelsea's policy of identifying and acquiring what they view as the best young talent on incentivised long-term contracts.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have announced the departure of midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka who has joined Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season.
Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in August 2022 and has made 32 first-team appearances and scored two goals for the west London club.
The 21-year-old's development has been stunted by a succession of injuries, most seriously a knee issue that kept him out for almost three months during the tail end of 2023.