Liverpool and Man Utd suffer transfer blow as Chelsea reach 'verbal agreement' for 15-year-old wonderkid

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez in a major blow for Liverpool and Manchester United.

The teenager has amassed interest from three of the Premier League's big six after taking age-group football by storm in his homeland.

And at the age of just 15, Paez was handed his first team debut with Independiente del Valle on Saturday, scoring a delightful chip during his side's first match of the season.

His form has earned the attention of all three English clubs along with Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, according to various sources.

However, fresh reports suggest that Chelsea are now in pole position for his signature.

Chelsea frontrunners to sign Paez

Transfer guru Fabrizo Romano, who initially reported Chelsea and United's interest in the creative midfielder, has indicated Stamford Bridge is his most likely destination.

Romano tweeted: "Kendry Páez scores on his debut with Independiente del Valle’s first team — he’s 15 years old, midfielder born in May 2007.

"Chelsea have anticipated many clubs as there’s a verbal agreement in place to sign Kendry and bring him to Europe in 3 years."

The news comes shortly after the Blues saw a whopping £14.8million bid rejected for his services, as per reports from Ecuador.

Whilst he is unable to physically move to the Premier League for another three years, he can still sign a deal for the future, with Chelsea seemingly keen to nab him early on in his development.

Brighton are also thought to be keeping tabs on Paez. The South Coast club have a lucrative relationship with the Ecuadorian side after signing Moises Caicedo from them in 2021.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have spoken to the representatives of Independiente over a potential transfer, according to 90min, with Manchester United also sniffing around.