Chelsea have announced the signing of Sporting winger Geovany Quenda in a deal worth £40m, the 19-year-old arriving with an eight-year contract as the second arrival under new manager Xabi Alonso. Quenda, who broke into Sporting’s first team under Ruben Amorim and has made 86 appearances including 16 in the Champions League, had already agreed to join Chelsea in March 2025 during Enzo Maresca’s spell in charge. “It feels great to be here,” Quenda said. “Chelsea is a great team and I am excited to play here at Stamford Bridge. The club has shown faith in players like me and I am proud to be here, proud to be part of this club. I am excited to work with my team-mates and the manager, Xabi Alonso. I’m a very hard-working young person and I like to help my team.” Capable of playing as a winger, attacking midfielder or wing-back, Quenda is expected to be part of the first-team squad and has spent the week training at Chelsea’s Cobham base ahead of Alonso’s first session on Thursday.
The deal follows the £42m signing of Atalanta full-back Marco Palestra, but Chelsea have also seen a number of players depart. Marc Cucurella has joined Real Madrid, Tyrique George is moving to Everton, and Andrey Santos is set to join Manchester United after a £50m deal was agreed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Chelsea have announced Jesse Derry, 19, has signed a new six-year contract and will join Sporting on loan.
“Chelsea sign Geovany Quenda for £40m as Tyrique George heads to Everton for £24m.”
Everton have agreed a deal worth up to £24m, including add-ons, to sign Chelsea winger Tyrique George. The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on Merseyside on loan with an option to buy for £25m, but Everton have renegotiated the upfront fee to around £18m with the remainder in add-ons based on European qualification and appearances. Chelsea have included a 15% sell-on clause. George, an England Under-21 international who came through Chelsea’s academy, made 11 appearances for Everton, starting once, and impressed manager David Moyes, who called him an “excellent boy with an excellent work-rate” at the end of his initial four-month spell. He has been available for transfer for the past 12 months, having held talks with RB Leipzig last summer, while a £22m move to Fulham collapsed on transfer deadline day in September 2025. The deal is subject to personal terms and a medical. George is poised to become Everton’s second summer arrival following a £16m deal for Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough, while German midfielder Merlin Rohl has made his loan move from SC Freiburg permanent and Idrissa Gana Gueye and Seamus Coleman departed at the end of their contracts.
Chelsea have also held talks over a move for Rayo Vallecano full-back Pep Chavarria, explored signing Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, and failed in their attempts to sign midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland. Sources in France and Argentina say Valentin Barco, who has already announced his departure from sister club Strasbourg, is set to join Chelsea as they look to strengthen their midfield options.