Chelsea have confirmed their 12th summer signing with the capture of highly-rated goalkeeper Mike Penders from Genk.
The Blues already have eight goalkeepers on their books, but they have moved swiftly to sign the 19-year-old, who has been dubbed the ‘new Thibaut Courtois’ in his native Belgium.
The youngster has signed an eight-year contract that will run to June 2032 after the two clubs agreed a £17million transfer, with add-ons likely to take it to £20m in total.
He becomes the fifth goalkeeper to join the club since Todd Boehly and Clearlake took over in May 2022, with Penders joining a busy goalkeeping department as the ninth shot-stopper at the club.
Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, Filip Jorgensen, Marcus Bettinelli and Kepa Arrizabalaga are the senior players on the books, with Lucas Bergstrom and Eddie Beach in the development squad.
Only Gabriel Slonina, 20, has left this summer on a loan deal to Barnsley, although Petrovic and Arrizabalaga are expected to depart before the transfer deadline on August 30.
As part of the transfer agreement negotiated by sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, Penders will spend the 2024-25 campaign on loan with Genk as he navigates his breakthrough season in his professional career.
The teenager made his senior debut against Standard Liege in July, becoming the third-youngest goalkeeper to appear in the competition’s history, and kept a clean sheet.
Ironically, Penders has graduated from the same academy that produced Courtois and Kevin de Bruyne, who have gone on to become world-class players following their stint at Chelsea.
It means Chelsea have now spent an estimated £240m on new players this summer, with Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Estevao Willian the most eye-catching signings.
There could still be more business done before the end of the transfer window, with talks ongoing with Napoli over Victor Osimhen.
But the west London outfit will be focusing on outgoings until the 11pm deadline on Friday, which could see the likes of Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell leave on permanent deals.
