English Premier League side Chelsea have agreed a deal with Rennes for 19 year old midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu for a fee reported to be in the region of £23.5m, reports also said he will be loaned to their sister club Strasbourg in the same Ligue 1 as Rennes.
As soon the move became public knowledge his Nigerian team Ugochukwu made many Nigerians to dig into his roots, especially the fact that he is yet to play for the senior national team of France.
The France U19 international has Nigerian roots which we traced to former Nigeria international defender Onyekachi Apam, who also played for Rennes during his time in the French Ligue 1.
Confirming our information, Apam was asked about his relationship with the soon to be Chelsea midfielder ” He is my nephew”, he said but didn’t reply to subsequent messages about the chances of having him switch nationality to Nigeria.
However in January, while speaking with Shina Okeleji in an interview for Guardian, he said his choice of senior national team is still open even though he is focused on his rise through the various youth levels of the French team.
“I’m only focused on France and my club right now, but my parents are from Nigeria, so I’m not closing any doors,” he told The Guardian.
“As a young player, I cannot look too far ahead by speaking on the future. I am growing at my club, learning and improving with the France team.
“Right now, there’s no pressure on me to make any decision, but we will see what happens in the future.”
Osas Mahawi