Chelsea agree deal to sign USMNT wonderkid - Ornstein

Tom Weber

Updated: 9 Jul 2024 10:04 BST
3 min read

Chelsea have agreed a deal in principle to sign Caleb Wiley from Atlanta United, according to David Ornstein.

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The United States men's national team youngster is set to head to Europe after impressing in Major League Soccer in recent seasons. Wiley was one of the breakout stars of the 2023 campaign and he was already in demand in January.

Voted into MLS's popular 22 under 22 list last year and earning his first senior cap for his country, Wiley put his name on the map and his star has continued to rise in 2024 even if he has failed to quite match the output he showed in the previous term when he notched four goals and four assists across the regular season and playoffs.

Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg were keen on signing Wiley in the winter, but they couldn't agree a deal. Now, they are set to land the left-back after all - but via Chelsea.

Chelsea to sign Wiley

At least that is according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. The journalist reports that Chelsea have agreed a deal in principle with Atlanta to sign the 19-year-old on a seven-year contract.

Chelsea will pay around €10 million for the teenager and, crucially, he will be sent on loan to BlueCo affiliate Strasbourg to get acclimatised to European football and get regular minutes.

Wiley thus becomes the latest young player to be signed by Chelsea this summer, following the arrivals of Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu and the soon-to-be-announced acquisition of Renato Veiga, who himself is a left-sided player and is expected to play left-back at Stamford Bridge.

The deal to sign Wiley had been in the works for some time, with French media reporting on the negotiations for weeks following the failed talks between Strasbourg and Atlanta in the winter.