The Athletic reveal Chelsea’s plan for future of disappointed £17m star | OneFootball

Kendry Paez is set to join Strasbourg on loan next season after being left out of Chelsea’s squad for the Club World Cup according to The Athletic.

Paez is viewed as one of the most exciting talents to come out of South America and the Blues agreed a deal worth £17m for the Ecuador international in 2023.

The 18-year-old spent the second half of last season at Cobham and Strasbourg’s training ground as part of a process to get him acclimatised to European football.

Kendry Paez to join Strasbourg on loan

Chelsea head to America on Friday for the Club World Cup and the expectation was Paez would be part of the squad, and would be assessed by Enzo Maresca before a final decision was taken on his future.

However, it was reported on Tuesday the teenager had been left out of the squad and The Athletic have revealed he will now join Strasbourg on loan.

Paez is set to join Strasbourg on loan. (Photo by Franklin Jacome/Getty Images)

Paez is said to be disappointed at the situation after being told last week he would be going to the Club World Cup.

It appears to be yet another baffling decision from Chelsea given Maresca doesn’t have an array of attacking options available for the competition.

A loan to Strasbourg will no doubt benefit Paez, but the timing of the decision seems odd and he certainly would have benefited from going to America with Chelsea.

Christopher Nkunku in the squad

Whilst Paez has been left out Chelsea have bizarrely included Christopher Nkunku despite the fact the 27-year-old is set to leave the club this summer.

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Nkunku attracted interest from Bayern Munich back in January and it’s believed the German giants have retained an interest in the France international.

The reasoning behind Nkunku’s inclusion is unclear, but if he plays and gets injured Chelsea could find it difficult to sell the Frenchman which would be a major problem for the club.