Soccer-Southampton sign Ugochukwu on loan from Chelsea

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Burnley v Chelsea - Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain - October 7, 2023 Chelsea's Lesley Ugochukwu arrives at the stadium ahead of the match REUTERS/Scott Heppell/File Photo

(Reuters) - Southampton have signed midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal, the newly promoted Premier League club announced late 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.

($1 = 0.7726 pounds)

($1 = 0.9068 euros)

(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)