CHELSEA look set to launch a huge bid for Brazilian 17-year-old Estevao Willian, according to reports in Brazil.
The club are prepared to pay £25.5million for the wonderkid initially, with a further £21m in potential add-ons.
Willian’s prodigious talent has seen the Palmeiras youngster earn the nickname ‘Messinho’ – after Lionel Messi.
He plays on the wing but that hasn’t stopped people calling him Messinho rather than his actual name.
Brazillian outlet UOL report that Chelsea are “strongly” in the race for Willian but Palmeiras are braced for offers from several top clubs.
The report also claims that Chelsea have failed in two prior attempts to sign Willian.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
A product of Palmeiras’ academy, Willian is a team-mate of soon-to-be Real Madrid player Endrick.
Endrick agreed to join Madrid in December 2022 when he was just 16 with a transfer fee that could rise to as much as £50m.
Willian appears to be the latest off the Palmeiras production line and his hype is matching that of Madrid’s latest golden boy.
Given that, it appears that even Chelsea’s latest offer of up to £47m may not be enough to convince Palmeiras to sell, as they may wait for a bidding war to ensue.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Due to employment laws Willian would not be able to move until next summer when he turns 18.
It’s the same situation that Real Madrid dealt with for their transfer of Endrick, with them having to wait until this summer for him to join the club.
Willian has played 12 senior games for Palmeiras so far, with much of his reputation having been built in the club’s academy.
Todd Boehly’s strategy since taking over Chelsea has seen him aggressively sign young talent, with the American businessman spending over £1billion on transfer fees since he took over the club.
The Blues currently have young talents Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Angelo on their books but only Washington has made an appearance for Chelsea so far.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
