Southampton secures loan deal for Ugochukwu from Chelsea

Southampton secured the services of midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea, the newly promoted Premier League club confirmed on Friday.

The 20-year-old joined Chelsea last year from French side Stade Rennes for around 30 million euros ($33.08 million) and has since made 15 appearances for the west London club.

A product of the Rennes Academy, Ugochukwu made his debut in 2021 and played 60 games in total for their first team.

"Southampton have a great history," the France under-21 international said in a statement. "A lot of great players came here and played for Southampton, so I'm very happy to be part of the team now. It was a very easy decision."

Southampton have also signed forward Cameron Archer from Aston Villa on a four-year contract, reportedly worth 15 million pounds ($19.42 million). They visit Newcastle United in their Premier League opener on Saturday.