Chelsea have reportedly agreed to sell young striker Deivid Washington to their sister club RC Strasbourg in a deal that could smash the French outfit's transfer record.
The 19-year-old is set to finalise a permanent switch to join the Ligue 1 side, with reports claiming the initial fee is £17.6million (€21m).
According to L'Equipe, the deal represents a record transfer fee for Strasbourg, who were taken over by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo - owned by Todd Boehly - in June 2023. The previous record was set when Abakar Sylla arrived from Club Brugge for £16.8m in 2023.
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It comes just 13 months after Washington arrived in a £16m deal from Santos. He has made three appearances for the Blues, all as a substitute, after coming on for his debut against Brentford in October 2023.
Washington has spent the majority of his time playing for the Blues' Under-21 development squad, which has been viewed as a more suitable environment for him to play in while he adapted to life in England.
But it now seems as if he will be given the chance to fight for first-team football in France ahead of his next big-money move.
He had already fallen down the pecking order before Chelsea paid £5m to sign Marc Guiu from Barcelona earlier this summer. The Spaniard, 18, has been given first-team opportunities, suggesting Washington's days would be numbered.
Chelsea have been limited with the number of players they can send out on loan to six under new rules rolled out by FIFA. As a result, the west London club have attempted to sell their young players on permanent deals and insert high sell-on clauses.
Washington would be the latest Blues player to leave for the French club this summer after Diego Moreira joined in a £1.5m deal in July, while Andrey Santos signed on a season-long loan in July.
Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is also expected to complete a temporary switch to northeastern France before the 11pm deadline tonight.
The transfer may well result in further scrutiny being placed upon Chelsea's relationship with Strasbourg, given that their co-controlling owner Boehly completed a £63m takeover of the club only 14 months ago. The move could be interpreted as a method of circumventing PSR regulations, with Chelsea spending around £220m this summer on 12 new players.
It is also unlikely to be viewed with much excitement by Strasbourg fans, who have protested vigorously against BlueCo's handling of the club since their 100 per cent share acquisition
