DION RANKINE AND MARCEL LEWIS LEAVE CLUB FOR CHELSEA

Cambridge United Academy duo Marcel Lewis and Dion Rankine leave the club to join Chelsea.

Lewis, U15, and Rankine, U14, have both been with the club since the U9 age group and the U's have allowed both players to continue their development with the Premier League side having agreed compensation.

Academy Manager Mark Bonner commented: “It reflects the quality within our Academy that a top club such as Chelsea are willing to pay this level of compensation for two of our players. 

“As we continue to become stronger every year, situations of this kind will happen from time to time when the strength of the interest is as strong as it has been from a number of clubs.  

“There are so many outcomes for an academy player at Cambridge United, which include representing the first team and beyond that. The recent senior debut for Leon Davies is a prime example of that pathway. Alternatively it might be that we have this situation in the future where players within our system move on, but the aim is to develop players that go on to represent us.

“We thank Chelsea Football Club for their professionalism and the respect in which they have shown us. 

“We wish both boys the very best in their new journey.  It’s a credit to the coaching programme that they have been a part of and the coaches they have worked with for a number of years, which has helped them to fulfil their potential.”

For further comments, watch the video interview below.