Negotiations between the two clubs are advanced, according to Argentine outlet TyC Sports, as Chelsea look to find regular first-team football for the 19-year-old Ecuador international following a difficult spell on loan at River Plate.
Kendry Paez had been expected to remain in Argentina until December, but the loan is being cut short after he fell out of River Plate's plans under head coach Eduardo Coudet, managing just 14 appearances, one goal and one assist since arriving in January. The playmaker has not featured for the Buenos Aires club since before this summer's World Cup, where he represented Ecuador.
Trabzonspor have emerged as the frontrunner for his signature ahead of Belgian side KV Mechelen, who had also registered interest earlier in the window.
The Turkish club, who recently completed a high-profile move for Mohamed Salah, see Paez as a potential long-term creative option and are believed to be offering him a regular starting role as part of the proposed deal.
Chelsea remain committed to the midfielder's long-term development and are understood to be structuring the move as a season-long loan, continuing the pattern of previous temporary spells that have taken him to Strasbourg and River Plate since his move from Independiente del Valle. No agreement has yet been finalised between the clubs, though talks are reported to be progressing quickly as both sides look to complete the switch before the window closes.
Paez arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2025 as one of South American football's most talked-about young prospects, having made 70 senior appearances for Independiente del Valle and earned more than 20 caps for Ecuador before turning 19. His development since the move to England has been managed largely away from the first team, with loan spells designed to build match experience rather than an immediate route into Chelsea's senior squad.
Should the move to Trabzonspor go through, Paez would be handed the opportunity to rebuild momentum in a league Chelsea will hope offers a more settled platform than his brief and disrupted stint in Argentina, with regular European football seen as important to his progress ahead of a possible return to west London in future windows.