CHELSEA have been boosted by Barcelona’s decision to pull out of the race to sign Estevao Willian, according to reports.
The wonderkid, 16, has attracted interest from Stamford Bridge.
Barcelona have also been linked with the Brazilian starlet, but are now set to move in another direction.
According to Spanish paper Sport, Barca will not move for the winger, dubbed “Messinho”, as they are trying to build the perfect environment around Lamine Yamal.
Yamal, also 16, has already emerged as one of the Catalan giants’ best players.
As Willian is the same age and plays in the same position, club chiefs feel that bringing him in could harm Yamal’s development.
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His club Palmeiras are set to demand at least £51million for his services.
And it could even take as much as £65m to prise him away.
It’s claimed that 70 per cent of any transfer fee will go to Palmeiras, with the remaining 30 pocketed by the player’s entourage.
Willian would not be allowed to join his next club until he turns 18 in April 2025.
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He has so far made six senior appearances for his club, and also starred for Brazil at the Under-17 World Cup last year.
The wonderkid has played alongside Selecao star Endrick, who scored the winner against England at Wembley last month.
Endrick will join Real Madrid from Palmeiras when he turns 18 in July.
Chelsea have made a habit of recruiting Brazilian wonderkids since Todd Boehly’s arrival in 2022.
The Blues have swooped for Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel and Deivid Washington in recent seasons.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
