Kendry Paez has already visited Chelsea's facilities in London (Image: GETTY)
One of the many up-and-coming talents signed by Chelsea could well become one of the best players in the world over the next decade. Todd Boehly's focus on signing high-potential players has seen a slew of South American wonderkids signed. Andrey Santos was the first of those, followed by Angelo Gabriel, Deivid Washington and Kendry Paez. While 16-year-old Paez is not officially a Chelsea player yet, he has an agreement with the Blues to join them after he turns 18 in May 2025.
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And the creative Ecuadorian midfielder, who will cost a little over £17million and can also play as a forward, has an exceedingly high ceiling. The left-footer already has five caps for his country and has several incredible records to his name.
Paez became the youngest player ever to score in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier last year, netting for Ecuador against Bolivia at 16 years and 161 days old. That comes after he became the youngest debutant and goalscorer in the Ecuadorian top flight on his professional debut at 15.
Now, the Independiente del Valle teenager has been named the best young player and best offensive midfielder in Ecuador. He has also been honoured with a spot in the Ecuadorian Serie A - also known as the Liga Pro - team of the year.
Paez's agent Manuel Sierra is full of confidence in the player. He told AS last week: "I don't know if we are going to have such a beastly talent in my life again like Kendry Paez. Today he is still at 50 per cent of his chances, 60 per cent of his chances. He is a guy who can be, for me, if not Ballon d'Or, be very close to being Ballon d'Or in the next, six, seven or eight years.
Kendry Paez is already a massive star in his homeland of Ecuador (Image: GETTY)
"I think he can be one of the greats in the world. He has it all. He is a guy who is super prepared for success. If everything goes well, if he has a cool head and takes care of himself, he can be very big. All the people who work around him, we have a great team, including his parents.
"I think we are doing a great job. Hopefully in July 2025 he can arrive with all the credentials to be one of Chelsea's important players, which is what we are working towards."
And Paez's latest achievements will only increase the excitement around the player, who has been dubbed the "jewel" of Ecuador. He said himself of the hype: "I don't feel pressure. I have to keep working, be focused on studying. It's wonderful [to be joining Chelsea], but now I'm focused on Independiente Del Valle.
"There are two years to go, I know it goes by quickly and I'll keep doing my thing here. I'm Kendry, I'm going to give the name to Ecuador. I'm going to continue being me, I don't want to be compared to [Lionel] Messi. He's very special, he's the best.
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Kendry Paez's breakthrough in Liga Pro has been recognised with a team of the year spot (Image: GETTY)
"I'm 16 years old, they cannot compare me with him, because I'm in a process. I have things to improve and gain a lot of experience. Later, with time, perhaps with what I win, maybe as Kendry Paez, the Ecuadorian. It's me and no one else."
Paez, who has six goals and three assists in 34 first-team matches for club and country, has already visited Chelsea in Independiente's off-season. He trained with the senior squad over Christmas and watched them in action while is also learning English so he's ready when he finally moves to Stamford Bridge.
And everything points to him having a huge future when he does land in England. If his current trajectory continues, becoming a Ballon d'Or contender seems more likely than not.
