Chelsea announce agreement to sign £17m goalkeeper

Chelsea have announced the signing of goalkeeper Mike Penders, who will join the club from the start of the 2025/26 season.

The Belgian starlet has put pen to paper on a contract running until 2032 and will join up with his new teammates after completing the 2024/25 campaign with Genk.

The 19-year-old stands at 6ft7 and has been likened to fellow countryman and former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

In Genk's statement confirming the deal, they described Penders' move as a "dream transfer". He will follow in the footsteps of Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne in joining Chelsea directly from Genk.

Genk's announcement also claims that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in Penders, but he has committed to Chelsea instead.

Chelsea are believed to have agreed a fee worth up to £17m inclusive of add-ons to sign Penders, who has only played two senior games so far in his career. At the age of 18 years and 363 days, Penders was the third-youngest goalkeeper to make their debut in Belgium's Jupiler Pro League

Penders is the fifth senior goalkeeper to have been signed by Chelsea since they were taken over by BlueCo in the summer of 2022, following on from Gabriel Slonina, Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic and Filip Jorgensen.

The Blues have already agreed deals to bring in two other young stars for the 2025/26 season. Estevao Willian will join from Palmeiras for a £29m fee, while Independiente's Kendry Paez is set for £15m. This summer, Chelsea have already made ten signings and could make further additions ahead of Friday's transfer deadline.

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