Leeds United has reached an agreement with Chelsea for the signing of defender Ethan Ampadu.
The Championship club will pay a fee of £7 million ($9.1 million), with additional add-ons included, to secure the services of the versatile 22-year-old center-back, who is also capable of playing in defensive midfield. Ampadu is expected to undergo a medical examination in the coming days to finalize the transfer.
Ampadu, who joined Chelsea from Exeter in 2017, has spent the past few seasons on loan at various clubs. He spent the previous campaign at Spezia in Serie A, making 31 appearances for the Italian side who unfortunately suffered relegation. Prior to his stint in Italy, Ampadu had loan spells at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United, and Venezia.
Despite his young age, Ampadu has already represented the Wales national team and has made 12 senior appearances for Chelsea. However, with limited playing time at Stamford Bridge, the talented defender has been given the opportunity to continue his development and gain regular first-team action at Leeds United.
Leeds, under the guidance of new manager Daniel Farke, are in the midst of a squad overhaul following their relegation from the Premier League last season. The acquisition of Ampadu is seen as a key part of their plans to strengthen the squad and mount a promotion campaign in the Championship.
The Yorkshire club has already made several moves in the transfer market, with the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Diego Llorente, Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch, and Marc Roca either departing or joining on loan. Additionally, forward Rodrigo has completed a permanent transfer to Qatari side Al Rayyan.
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