Chelsea have agreed the future transfer of teenage talent Benji Flowers, who’s apparently a very highly rated young player currently in the academy system of FC Dallas in the USA. Flowers is only 15, and having just signed his first professional contract, so he will be joining the Blues only in about three years, in 2029, after he turns 18.
According to The Athletic, the initial fee is “around $3million (£2.25m)”, but the final fee could be as high as $10m thanks to various add-ons that incentivize
Dallas to provide a proper pathway for the teenager (i.e. give him first-team football at some point). Flowers did already play for Dallas’ “Next Pro” development team earlier this year, at age 14, so if he stays the course, he should be making his full MLS debut before his move to Chelsea as well.
For Chelsea, this deal is just the latest in a line of similar deals, some of which have worked out pretty well so far (i.e. Estêvão), some of which have not (i.e. Kendry Páez), and some of which are still in progress (i.e. Dastan Satpaev). We’re of course hardly alone in engaging in such transfer activities that skirt FIFA’s transfer rules of minors; and we’re not even the first to try to tap into the growing US market: Manchester City agreed a $5m deal for then 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan a couple years ago.
In any case, see you in a few years, Benji!
