Burnley has completed the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu from Chelsea for a fee reported to be more than £20 million.
The 21-year-old midfielder has agreed to a five-year deal at Turf Moor. The transfer fee is believed to be similar to the £23.2 million Chelsea paid for him when he signed from Rennes in 2023.
In a statement, the club announced, “Burnley Football Club are delighted to confirm the signing of French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu.”
The statement noted that the “talented 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Turf Moor, joining from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee, after the Clarets beat off stiff competition from around the Premier League and Europe for his signature.”
Ugochukwu is the seventh player to join Scott Parker’s squad this summer.
Ugochukwu was considered surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea is looking to offload several players from their ‘bomb squad’—a group, including Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell, who are training separately from Enzo Maresca’s first team.
Ugochukwu made 15 appearances in all competitions during his two years at Chelsea before being loaned to Southampton for the 2024-25 season.