German Magazine Der Spiegel have leaked information about the transaction that landed Chelsea in hot water with World Football governing body. FIFA, leading to the transfer ban slapped on the premier league side.
According to Der Spiegel, Chelsea paid an Austrian 14-year-old to join them and “parked” him with another team before signing him last year, leaked documents suggest.
Der Spiegel report that Football Leaks have evidence to show an agreement was reached with Thierno Ballo to sidestep Fifa rules.
Players in the European Union are not allowed to be signed or offered incentives until they are in the year they turn 16.
But the magazine claim Bayer Leverkusen-registered Ballo, his guardian and his mother made an agreement to join Chelsea “on or around 1 July, 2018”.
The Ivory Coast-born teen then moved to Viktoria Koln, where he reportedly had a clause in his contract allowing him to make “trips to Chelsea’s Cobham Training Centre designed to focus his development ahead of his eventual move”.
Chelsea reportedly paid the midfielder £10,000 in 2016 with a promise of £215,000 per year from this summer as well as up to £550,000 in bonuses.
The Stamford Bridge club were handed a two-window ban by Fifa for breaching rules over the signing of young players.
