Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign goalkeeper prodigy Mike Penders from Genk, with the finer details of the move crafted specifically to work in Enzo Maresca's favour.
The Blues have announced that Penders, a 19-year-old shot-stopper from Belgium, will join up with his new team-mates in 2025. Chelsea have reportedly forked out an initial £17million for the youngster and sent him back to Genk for the season ahead.
But Penders' return to his homeland is not on loan. According to BBC Sport, Chelsea have struck an agreement to sign Penders a year ahead of time, and he will simply remain with his current club until then.
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Crucially for Maresca, who is still praying for senior figures at Stamford Bridge to find new homes for the multitude of fringe players in his ranks, Chelsea's crafty move frees up an international loan spot.
FIFA regulations only allow six players from one club to head out on overseas loan spells at any one time. Chelsea have already sent Caleb Wiley to Strasbourg this summer and Aaron Anselmino back to Boca Juniors.
Having a spot freed up by Penders' cleverly-constructed transfer gives the Blues more scope to find overseas destinations for several of their young or unwanted players before the summer window slams shut.
Djordje Petrovic, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling and Armando Broja are among those to have been heavily linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge this summer.
And if no Premier League suitors come forward, or sides overseas are put off by the costs involved, a loan move abroad could be the best course of action. Maresca has already painted a concerning picture of life at Cobham, where he has resorted to exiling a large group of senior players from the Chelsea first-team.
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"I am not working with 42 players," he explained. "I am working with 21 players. The other 15 or 20 players are training apart (from the main group). I don't see them. It's not a mess like it looks from outside. Absolutely not. They could even have 20-year contracts, it’s not my point. I don’t care."
Chelsea's squad is already overflowing with goalkeepers, young and old, with established new signing Filip Jorgensen facing a fight to displace Robert Sanchez this season. But the landscape could look different by the time Penders formally completes his move from Genk next year.
