Chelsea announce second signing of summer as Omari Kellyman joins from Aston Villa

06/29/2024 05:20 AM

Chelsea have announced the signing of Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa in a deal worth £19million.

The Blues have already been active this summer, having signed Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer after his contract at Fulham expired.

And new boss Enzo Maresca now has his second new addition since arriving as Chelsea boss.

The Blues, who are also chasing Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, announced the arrival of 18-year-old attacking midfielder Kellyman on Saturday.

England youth star Kellyman has signed a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

The youngster has looked impressive in the Premier League 2, where the Under-21s play for clubs, scoring seven times in 12 appearances.

Last season, he made six appearances in all competitions for Villa after joining the club from Derby County in March 2022.

The teenager made his professional debut in August 2023 when he starred in the 3-0 win over Hibernian in the Europa Conference League.

He marked his first appearance with a debut after setting up Leon Bailey for the second goal of the game.

In the Premier League, Kellyman has played twice – two cameo appearances off the bench for Villa against Manchester City and Crystal Palace in the latter stages of the season.

He only signed a new contract with Villa last October and has been tipped for stardom, making his debut for the England Under-20s this month.

It is not the first time that Chelsea have pinched players from Villa’s academy, signing Carney Chukwuemeka for £20m last summer.

Meanwhile, Villa made their first signing of the summer with Ian Maatsen joining from Chelsea for £37.5m.

The Dutchman was loaned to Borussia Dortmund in January, helping them reach the Champions League final which they lost to Real Madrid.