Kendry Paez close to Trabzonspor loan as Chelsea hold talks

Chelsea are reportedly in negotiations with Trabzonspor over a loan move for Kendry Paez, with the Turkish club now emerging as the frontrunner for the Ecuadorian youngster.

Paez is set to leave River Plate before the scheduled end of his current loan in December, forcing Chelsea to find another destination for the 19-year-old.

According to Argentine outlet TyC Sports, Paez is now “close to being loaned” to Trabzonspor.

Trabzonspor had already emerged as a possible destination towards the end of July, when Chelsea began considering alternatives for Paez.

That interest has now progressed, with TyC Sports reporting that Chelsea “maintain negotiations” with the Turkish club.

No final agreement has been reached, meaning there is still work required before the transfer can be completed. However, Trabzonspor's interest has clearly developed beyond the exploratory stage.

A move would also place Paez alongside Mohamed Salah, who, according to the supplied report, has joined Trabzonspor following his seven-year spell at Liverpool.

Playing alongside such an experienced attacker could provide an interesting environment for Paez as Chelsea look for somewhere he can continue his development.

Paez's time with River Plate is effectively over despite his loan originally being scheduled to continue until December.

Chelsea and River are working towards terminating the agreement early, while the Ecuador international has been omitted from River's matches since the World Cup break.

That leaves Chelsea needing to find another suitable loan for one of their highly rated young players.

Trabzonspor were initially one of several possibilities, but negotiations between the clubs now put the Turkish side in a strong position to become Paez's next destination.

Chelsea and Trabzonspor must now finalise the terms of the proposed loan before Paez can complete his move to Turkey.

With his River Plate spell effectively over, securing a new destination where the Ecuadorian can play regularly has become the immediate priority for Chelsea.