Aaron Anselmino has been tipped to become a ‘great footballer’ and star for Argentina by Boca Juniors president Juan Roman Riquelme.
The 19-year-old was signed by Chelsea from Boca over the summer in a £15.6m deal but stayed with the Buenos Aires giants on loan for the season.
That loan has now been cut short and he has moved to Stamford Bridge where he will begin training with the rest of the Chelsea squad.
The teenage defender has been gaining first team experience at Boca, making 11 appearances in the Argentine top flight this season and Riquelme has seen enough to be convinced he is going to the top.
The former Boca, Barcelona and Villarreal star, who is now president at La Bombonera, told ESPN: ‘He has developed a lot.
‘With the growth, the head that he has and the desire to learn that he shows, he is on his way to being a great footballer.
‘He is going to be a player for the national team. He is going to compete with the centre-backs.’
Chelsea’s plan for Anselmino is yet to be seen as he faces plenty of competition at centre-back in Enzo Maresca’s squad.
Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile have all played in the Premier League so far this season in the middle of defence.
Chelsea are looking to trim their squad in January, with a number of exits expected for players who appear to have few first team prospects under Maresca.
Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, Harvey Vale and Alex Matos are all available for transfer, either on loan or permanently this month.
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The Blues are back in action on Saturday when they make the short trip across London to face Crystal Palace.
Maresca is looking to halt a concerning run of three games which have yielded just one point at Everton, with back-to-back defeats to Fulham and Ipswich.