Chelsea reach transfer agreement with Championship club for midfielder | OneFootball

Premier League giants Chelsea have now agreed a deal to sign Norwich City teenager Alex Matos this summer, according to Football Insider.

The Blues were reported by Fabrizio Romano last week to be in talks with the Canaries to sign Matos, whose contract at Carrow Road expires in the coming months.

Due to his contract situation, Chelsea were pursuing the signing of the 18-year-old on a free transfer initially but add-ons were set to be included.

Per the Pink Un, the Londoners have been keen on Matos for a number of years since he arrived at Norwich in 2017 from Luton Town's academy, but they are finally set to get their hands on him and he even played for their development squad in a friendly last week alongside Ngolo Kante in midfield against Charlton Athletic.

Matos notched two assists in a 3-0 victory for Chelsea and they are now set to press ahead with a deal to officially bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer, with Football Insider now reporting that a sell-on clause will now be included in the transfer, entitling Norwich to profit from any potential future move.

He made his under-18's Premier League debut for Norwich back in October 2020 not long after his 16th birthday, and last season he was a regular in that starting 11 across a number of attacking positions.

The 2022-23 season though has seen Matos become more versatile by shifting into the engine room and on occasion into right-back for Norwich's under-21's - across that age group and the under-18's he has played 22 times but he now looks set to move on in the next few months.

The Verdict

It is a shame for Norwich to lose a young player who quite clearly has a lot of talent, but when a big club like Chelsea comes calling it's hard to say no.

Perhaps the Canaries could have done more to try and extend his contract before the Blues ramped up their interest, but it would have always been tough to hang onto Matos - especially if their interest has been persistent.

At least they could be compensated in the future though with a sell-on clause set to be involved in the deal, and even if Matos never makes it to the first-team at Stamford Bridge, there's a likelihood that he should do well for himself as the loan system that Chelsea have created means he will get chances somewhere.

If he has impressed next to Kante in a friendly as well, then you can see exactly why Chelsea are trying to rush through a deal before anyone else tries to gazump them - although that would be very difficult with their embarrassment of riches.