Leicester City close in on deadline day agreement for Chelsea player | OneFootball

Jamaica international Dujuan Richards looks set to arrive at the King Power Stadium

Leicester City are set to beat the deadline to sign Chelsea forward Dujuan Richards for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

The Foxes have had a quiet January window, owing to their continuing financial issues that saw previous head coach Marti Cifuentes restricted to free transfers and loan deals in the summer window.

Going into deadline day and with Cifuentes having been sacked in January from his position, Leicester had still not signed any new players ahead. Joe Aribo arrived however on a temporary basis from Southampton, but a new attacker had not yet arrived to replace Julian Carranza, whose loan deal from Feyenoord was terminated at the start of the window.

Leicester City set to bring Chelsea youngster Dujuan Richards in on loan

It looks as though City have beat the 7pm deadline though to bring some fresh blood to the attacking unit, with Pete O'Rourke reporting on the eve of the window shutting that Chelsea attacker Dujuan Richards is set to arrive in the East Midlands.

A deal has reportedly been agreed with the Blues for the 20-year-old, but it remains to be seen if a deal sheet was needed to give Leicester more time for confirmation - which can be done so to extend the deadline until 9pm UK time.

Richards arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2024 from the Phoenix Academy, but is yet to make his first-team debut at the club - he has however been capped 14 times already at senior level for Jamaica, scoring twice.

After spending a year out of action across 2024 and 2025 due to a knee injury, Richards has been featuring for Chelsea's under-21's in the Premier League 2 competition this season, where he has mainly operated as a right-winger, which means he may be competition for Ghana international Abdul Fatawu, should the transfer be confirmed.

Richards is no stranger to the Leicester area either, having spent time as a youngster at the Brooke House College’s football academy, which is based in nearby Market Harborough.

Dujuan Richards deal shows where Leicester City are currently at

There's every chance that Richards - who has untapped potential as a full international - could be a surprise success at Leicester, but he's entirely unproven when it's all said and done.

He spent a long time out on the sidelines with a knee issue but is evidently fit based on his Chelsea under-21's appearances, but if he's being brought in as a right-winger, but the amount of game-time he's going to get ahead of Abdul Fatawu you would presume is minimal.

However, the experience of being around a competitive first-team environment could bring the Jamaica international on a bit in terms of his ability, and he may be able to learn a thing or two off the likes of Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi as he gets set for his first taste of club men's football.