Official | Burnley sign Lesley Ugochukwu from Chelsea | OneFootball

It’s been in the works for a few days, and on Wednesday, it became official.

Burnley FC signed Lesley Ugochukwu (21) to a five-year contract, which will keep him in Lancashire until 2030. According to the BBC, the newly promoted Premier League side will pay Chelsea close £23.2m to acquire him, which was the fee the Blues had given to Stade Rennais to sign him in August 2023.

It seems as though Burnley defender Maxime Estève (23) had a part in swaying him to join the 2024-25 Championship runners-up.

“As soon as I learned the club’s interest in my recruitment, I wanted to learn more about the project. I talked to the coach and Maxime Estève- they were both passionate about the club and its direction. I think this is the ideal choice for me at this stage of my career, given the ambition of the club,” Ugochukwu told Burnley’s media channels upon completion of the move.

Estève, born in Montpellier, has been with Burnley since February 2024, making the permanent switch in May of that year.

This will be the third English top-flight side that Ugochukwu has featured for since 2023, after spending last season on loan at Southampton, scoring once in 26 appearances as they were relegated to the Championship.

Before coming to England, Ugochukwu played three seasons in Ligue 1 at Stade Rennais, and he’s also made 20 appearances for France at various youth levels. He had signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea in 2023 but only made 12 appearances for them in the Premier League during the 2023-24 campaign.

He’s the second former Rennes and France youth player to sign for Scott Parker’s side this summer.

In early July, Loum Tchaouna (21) officially joined the club on a five-year deal for an estimated fee of £12m. The former Lazio forward represented France at the 2022 UEFA European U-19 Championship, finishing that competition as the leading goalscorer (four goals).

GFFN | Joel Lefevre