Chelsea have agreed to sign US winger Benji Flowers for their academy and have settled all terms with Flowers to join from FC Dallas as soon as he turns 18. The London club can pay up to around $10m for Flowers, with an initial $3m fee + a potential $7m in add-ons.
The teenager made his debut for Dallas’ MLS Next Pro team at just 14 years old in March. So far, he has played in only two games for the second team. Flowers has represented the United States up to the under-15 level and is considered one of the top youth talents in the country.
According to Tom Bogert from The Athletic, one of the add-ons is based on whether Flowers plays a certain number of minutes for the first team before the 2026 season ends, which could motivate Dallas to give him a chance at senior football at some point in the near future.
Similar to Cavan Sullivan’s pre-arrangement with Manchester City, European sides are taking more chances on youth talent in the United States as they continue to scope the globe for their next star talent.
