Chelsea's French-born midfielder hints he may be willing to switch to the Super Eagles

CHELSEA'S French-born midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has indicated that he might be willing to pledge his senior international future to Nigeria after he made a surprise visit to family members in the Imo State capital Owerri.

Ugochukwu, 19, was born in France and has played for the French national team at the U19 and U21 level, but is yet to receive a call-up to the senior team. Last summer, the tough-tackling anchorman joined Mauricio Pochetinno’s Chelsea from French Ligue One side Stade Rennais but has so far only played in 10 English Premier League games.

Lesley's last game for Chelsea was against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December 2023 as he has not been able to play due to a hamstring injury that ruled him out of action for six weeks. Now on the way back to recovery, Ugochukwu decided to his family in Nigeria and took to his social media to share the pictures.

Ugochukwu,  a six feet two defensive midfielder, is also eligible to represent Nigeria as he has Nigerian roots and is the nephew of former Super Eagles defender Onyekachi Apam. Rennais from where he joined are known to be one of the biggest producers of black talents in the French Ligue One, with Apam himself, Ousmane Dembele and Eduardo Camavinga all coming through their ranks

Earlier this week, Ugochukwu posted pictures on his Instagram page, sharing how he is spending his time away from the pitch with his family in Nigeria. Ugochukwu signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea at the start of his season, guaranteeing a lengthy stay at Stamford Bridge.