Chelsea have completed a deal to sign US national team left-back Caleb Wiley for a reported £8.5m.
The 19-year-old will join Chelsea from Atlanta United on a six-year contract. Wiley is expected to join Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club who are part of the same Blueco ownership group as Chelsea, on loan for a season.
Wiley rose through the ranks of Atlanta’s academy and has been part of the MLS club’s first-team squad since 2022. He made his senior debut for the USMNT against Mexico last October.
“Caleb epitomizes the pathway that we envisioned when we started this club,” Atlanta’s technical director Carlos Bocanegra said in a statement. “Born and raised in Atlanta, he joined our Academy at 11 years old and went on to earn every step in his path.
“Over that time, he debuted for the national team and was chosen to represent our country at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now he can continue his career at a top club in Europe. We wish Caleb the best in this next challenge of his career and look forward to following his journey.”
Across two-and-a-half seasons in Atlanta’s first-team, Wiley registered six goals and seven assists in 77 MLS matches, including one goal and one assist in 21 starts this season. He is now in Paris as part of the US squad for the Olympic football tournament.
The left-back is the sixth summer signing for Chelsea under new manager Enzo Maresca, with Omari Kellyman, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga already joining this transfer window. Like Guiu and Veiga, Wiley fits Chelsea’s model of signing young players on long-term contracts. Guiu joined on a six-year deal as an 18-year-old, with Veiga signing a seven-year contract at 20 years old.
