Kendry Paez nearly joined Borussia Dortmund before Chelsea swooped in
By Tushar Bahl
Kendry Paez almost signed with Borussia Dortmund before Chelsea swooped in and won the race for his signature, his father has revealed.
Kendry Paez is considered to be one of the world’s most exciting young players, and recently made his debut for the Ecuador senior team at the age of just 16. In June, it was announced that the attacking midfielder will be joining Chelsea when he turns 18 in the summer of 2025.
But his father has now revealed that everything was set for the talented youngster to join Borussia Dortmund, before things changed at the last minute and he made the switch to Chelsea.
"In an interview with Radio Cobertura FM, Kendry Paez’s dad Ray said (via Sport Witness):“Everything was ready for me to go to Borussia Dortmund, the trip was ready to go, Chelsea showed up again, we spoke to his agent and he signed with Chelsea. We were going to sign with Borussia Dortmund there in Germany but everything changed.”"
Kendry Paez currently plays for Ecuador club Independiente del Valle, where he made his first-team breakthrough at the age of just 15. Several of Europe’s biggest clubs were interested in signing him. But ultimately, Chelsea won the race for his signature. Paez will continue his development in Ecuador till 2025, before making the switch to the English Premier League side.
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Borussia Dortmund are known for giving regular first-team minutes to young players, and a move to Germany would have certainly boosted Kendry Paez’s chances of breaking into the first-team. It will be interesting to see how his career progresses at Chelsea when he eventually joins them.