Chelsea are set to secure winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen on a long-term contract, with the 16-year-old expected to sign his first professional deal when he turns 17 despite interest from other leading clubs.
The move is designed to avoid a repeat of 2024, when highly rated academy forward Rio Ngumoha left Chelsea for Liverpool after failing to agree new terms.
Ngumoha had been named player of the tournament when Chelsea’s Under-16s won the national championship in 2023 but departed eight years after joining the academy.
Kavuma-McQueen, born in London in January 2009, has been with Chelsea since Under-8 level and has developed into one of the most promising talents in the academy system.
The 1.79m winger is described as energetic and clinical, having played a key role in winning the Under-15 Premier League Floodlit Cup before becoming a regular in the Under-18s during the 2024/25 campaign.
He also featured for the Under-21s, scoring against Manchester United and Ipswich Town.
This season he has already stepped up to face older opponents in Premier League 2, taken part in multiple first-team training sessions, and made headlines by scoring four goals in England Under-17s’ 7-5 victory over Germany during the international break.
Chelsea’s academy leaders, technical director Glenn van der Kraan and head of recruitment Delroy Ebanks, are determined to secure his future as part of a new generation of talent.
The club points to recent graduates such as Reece James, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Josh Acheampong as proof of a pathway into the senior squad.
Manager Enzo Maresca, who handed a club-record eight debuts to academy players last season, is expected to continue relying on homegrown players, with Kavuma-McQueen now at the forefront of the next group.
