Chelsea are close to signing Atlanta United left back Caleb Wiley, CBS Sports sources say. The 19-year-old, who was named to the US squad for the Olympics on Monday, is expected to sign a contract with the Blues until June 2031 to pay $11 million for Wiley.
Following the completion of the move, Wiley is expected to be loaned out to Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg so he can gain regular first-team minutes. Wiley, who joined the club at the Under-12 level, has played in all of Atlanta’s MLS matches this season. In his 84 appearances for the club, he scored six goals and nine assists.
Wiley’s sale continues an important summer of sales at the Mercedes Benz Arena. Thiago Almada was sold to Botafogo for an MLS record fee, while Giorgos Giakoumakis joined Cruz Azul.
Chelsea, meanwhile, continue their attempts to land a string of highly rated young prospects, tying them down to key long-term deals. 18-year-old Marc Guiu joined from Barcelona at the beginning of this month, just after Omari Kellyman was signed from Aston Villa for $24.3 million. It is unlikely that Wiley will be the only young defender to join the Blues this summer. Advanced talks are underway to sign Aaron Anselmino and Renato Veiga from Basel’s Boca Juniors.