Milan Futuro have completed the signing of attacking midfielder Yahya Idrissi from Chelsea U18 on a free transfer, with the deal commencing on 2026-02-02 and running until an undisclosed contract end date. The move takes the 18-year-old from the English U18 Premier League to Italy’s Serie D – B, marking his first professional step abroad.
The transfer, registered as a standard free move, sees Idrissi leave Chelsea’s U18 setup for Milan Futuro, the development side linked to AC Milan. There is no recorded market value for the player in the data, underlining how this is a low-cost but potentially high-upside acquisition for the Italian club. Chelsea U18 lose an attacking midfield option, while Milan Futuro strengthen a squad built to bridge the gap between youth and senior football.
Idrissi joins Milan Futuro having been developed entirely within English academy football. Born in Watford and holding both Moroccan and English nationality, he has progressed through West Ham United Youth, Chelsea FC Youth and Chelsea FC U18. That path has exposed him to some of the most competitive youth environments in England, even if it has not yet translated into a defined transfer value or first-team appearances.
The move also represents a clear change of competition. Idrissi leaves the U18 Premier League, where Chelsea’s academy sides compete against the country’s elite youth teams, for Serie D – B, the fourth tier of Italian football. While still a developmental environment, Serie D typically offers more senior-style football, with greater physicality and tactical discipline, and often features older, more experienced players than U18 competitions in England.
On the pitch, Idrissi is listed as an attacking midfielder, operating primarily in the central advanced role. He is right-footed and stands at 1.79m, a profile that suggests a player comfortable linking midfield and attack rather than being restricted to the wings or deeper central roles. There is no statistical breakdown in the data regarding his goals, assists, or appearances for Chelsea’s youth sides, and no recent match details or season-by-season contribution are provided, so his exact output at academy level cannot be quantified from the available information.
Internationally, Idrissi’s dual nationality with Morocco and England gives him flexibility for future representation, though the data only links him at present to his club, Milan Futuro, and does not record any youth caps or national-team involvement. That status may change if he establishes himself in Italy, but there is no evidence yet of formal selection for either federation.
The contractual details beyond the official start date of 2026-02-02 and the free-transfer nature of the deal remain undisclosed, raising the theoretical possibility that he could become a free agent at the end of his term if an extension is not agreed and no further transfer is arranged. However, there is no information in the data about any release clauses, options, or planned future moves.
For now, the confirmed switch from Chelsea U18 to Milan Futuro places Idrissi in a new footballing culture, in a different league structure, and in direct competition for senior minutes in Serie D – B. How quickly he adapts to Italian football and converts his English youth education into consistent performances will go a long way to determining whether this free transfer becomes a launchpad to higher levels or simply a short chapter in a still-young career.
