Chelsea ‘confident’ of signing Brazilian wonderkid wanted by Arsenal after Todd Boehly seals £51m transfer

Chelsea are reportedly ‘confident’ they can sign another Brazilian wonderkid – two months after confirming a transfer agreement for South American rising star Estevao Willian.

Brazil Under-17 international Willian will link up with Chelsea in 2025 after he celebrates his birthday next April, with the Premier League side paying Palmeiras an initial £28m to secure his signature – but the fee could rise to more than £51m due to performance-related add-ons.

After missing out on Brazil striker Endrick back in December 2022, with the then 16-year-old agreeing to head to Real Madrid from Palmeiras, the Blues made sure they were not going to be denied this time out.

Incidentally, earlier this year, the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport: “Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love.

“He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot. That’s what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.”

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This is part of Chelsea’s wider strategy to sign young, talented players on lengthy contracts, with the hope they come good at the club or at least have a high sell-on value.

Meanwhile, Madrid have made a habit of recruiting rising Brazilian stars in recent years, most notably Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and now Endrick – with the former two proving to be hugely successful transfers.

Now, Chelsea have set their sights on another precocious talent in Gabriel Mec. They were not the first Premier League side to show an interest in the teenager, however.

Arsenal reportedly pursued the then 15-year-old last September, with his club Gremio allegedly claiming the Gunners were ‘harassing’ them for his signature.

Chelsea target ‘keen’ on transfer

Despite that approach, which came to nothing, the now 16-year-old – who has been described as a ‘jewel’ of a player and likened to Neymar – may head to London rivals Chelsea, though.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues have presented their project to Mec and they are ‘confident’ a deal can be struck to allow him to move to Stamford Bridge.

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He adds that negotiations are underway with both Gremio and the teenager’s entourage, with the youngster said to be keen on joining the west London outfit.

Chelsea have been busy this summer, with new manager Enzo Maresca seeing Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, and Renato Veiga.

With the new season less than a month away, Todd Boehly’s team are likely to see more players arrive and leave in the coming weeks.