The Ecuadorian player Kendry Paez He arrived in Argentina this Friday to undergo a medical examination and sign his contract with the River Platea club he will join on a one-year loan from Chelsea, which terminated his loan to Strasbourg French.
The 18-year-old offensive midfielder arrived at the Ezeiza international airport (Buenos Aires province), where he was received by River personnel before moving to a clinic in the capital to undergo routine medical tests. Asked by the press about his arrival at River, he responded: “It’s a big thing.”
Decisive hours
Páez plans to seal his incorporation to the Millonario this Friday and meet the coach tomorrow Marcelo Gallardo and his new teammates, before the team’s trip to Rosario to face Sunday Central Rosary in the Argentine Apertura Tournament.
As River sources informed EFE, the agreement contemplates a free transfer with no purchase option until the end of the year, with a clause that will allow Chelsea to pick up the player after the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada and another that would enable the extension of the loan for six more months.
No continuity
“He is a young talent, we saw him watching. He emigrated quickly to Chelsea, he had no continuity and we made an attempt in June. It was not possible and we kept in touch. Chelsea thought of us, that is why they gave us a player free of charge. I spoke with him and he is happy and excited to come,” Gallardo expressed this Wednesday after his team’s 2-0 victory against Gimnasia y Esgrima.
Kendry Páez was loaned in mid-2025 to Strasbourg, which shares ownership with Chelsea, and there he played a total of 21 games and scored a goal in six months. Since December, however, he barely had any minutes and remained mostly on the bench.
Páez will thus become one of the most notable signings of the season in Argentine soccer and an important piece of the Millonario, which will compete in both the local tournament and the Copa Sudamericana.
Looking ahead to this season, River has already added three important additions, all coming from Brazilian football: Aníbal Moreno, from Palmeiras; Fausto Vera, from Atlético Mineiro; and the Uruguayan Matías Viña, from Flamengo.
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In the millionaire eleven, Páez would probably alternate in the role of creative midfielder with the Colombian ‘Juanfer’ Quintero, who was a figure in the two matches of the Apertura Tournament that his team has played, registering two goals and an assist.
