Chelsea Came Up Short Finding Suitable Move For Celtic Linked Star | OneFootball

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Chelsea made attempts to find Kendry Paez, who has been a Celtic target, a Premier League or top end Championship loan, but nothing suitable was found, according to journalist Nizaar Kinsella.

The Blues initially secured a deal to sign Paez back in June 2023, but the Ecuadorian officially joined last season after he turned 18.

Chelsea fended off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United to bring Paez to Stamford Bridge.

The winger spent the first half of last term on loan at Chelsea’s sister side Strasbourg, before spending the second half in Argentina with River Plate.

Chelsea cut Paez’s loan spell at River Plate short after becoming dissatisfied with his lack of regular playing time.

The Stamford Bridge outfit have since been looking to send Paez on another loan spell, but wanted to be sure the 19-year-old secured regular minutes.

Scottish giants Celtic showed interest in signing the young Chelsea talent earlier this week, but it was suggested they would have to show they could give him regular game time.

Chelsea explored options in England for Paez.

The Stamford Bridge side looked at finding him a loan move within the Premier League or at a top end Championship side.

Chelsea used their final international loan spots on sending Dario Essugo to Strasbourg and Robert Sanchez to Como.

Celtic, who had already secured the signature of Haissem Hassan, were looking to further bolster their options on the wing, and Paez emerged as an attractive prospect.

The Bhoys have done business with Chelsea, with forward Shim Mheuka joining on loan.

Whether the Scottish champions did hold serious talks to sign Paez is unclear, as is whether they might come back to the table for him in the future.

Now Paez looks set to settle into life in the Premier League 2 with Chelsea’s Under-21s side, unless he can catch Xabi Alonso’s eye on the training pitch.