Chelsea broke Fifa transfer rules by paying a 14-year-old Austrian and then “parked” him with another club until he was legally allowed to sign for them, according to Der Spiegel.
The German magazine claims that documents from the Football Leaks website show Chelsea reached an agreement with Thierno Ballo, now 17, in breach of regulations, paying him £10,000 in 2016.
Fifa regulations prohibit EU clubs signing players or offering them incentives until they are in the year they turn 16.
Der Spiegel reported that Ballo’s mother signed an agreement with Chelsea when the striker was 14 and registered to Bayer Leverkusen. He then moved to German fourth-tier club Viktoria Koln “in preparation” for his Chelsea move, which happened in January.
A spokesperson for Chelsea, who were hit with a two-window transfer ban this year after they were found to have broken rules on registering minors, said: “We do not comment on speculation concerning confidential contracts.”
