Chelsea handed major boost in Angelo Gabriel pursuit as Barcelona refuse to match offer
According to the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Premier League giants Chelsea are now in pole position to land Angelo Gabriel with Barcelona unwilling to enter the fray for his signature.
The Blues have made an offer of €15m for the Brazilian youngster but faced a threat from Barcelona who have a first refusal for the 18-year-old are in no mood to exercise it. This is because the Catalans are fully focused on their pursuit of another Brazilian star, Vitor Roque.
This is good news for Chelsea who now look set to land yet another prodigious youngster. Since Todd Boehly arrived at the club, Chelsea have spent money on attracting several top young talents to Stamford Bridge.
This summer is no different with a deal for Nicolas Jackson being agreed earlier this month. Lest there is a late twist in the tale, Gabriel should become the Blues’ second signing of the 2023 summer transfer window.
Understand Barcelona have told Santos also with formal communication that they are not matching Chelsea official €15m bid for Ângelo Gabriel 🔵🔴⛔️
Barça are only focused on sealing Vitor Roque deal. He’s the one.
Santos will now proceed to sign Ângelo deal with #CFC 🔵🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/zpugwiNwRF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 29, 2023
The youngster made his first team debut for Santos at the age of 16 and thus became the second youngest player in the club’s history behind 1962 FIFA World Cup winner Coutinho. Hopefully, the right-winger will go on to fulfill his potential and develop into a world-class player in West London.
Despite his young age, the teenager is a seasoned professional with 129 senior appearances to his name. While he will take some time to get accustomed to the English game, there is little denying that he is primed to make it big. The Blues reached an agreement for another Santos starlet Andrey Santos last January and have shown an increasing affinity for the South American market of late.
Brighton and Hove Albion have in recent years exploited the South American market to bag themselves players with excellent potential on the cheap. Chelsea have now joined the race and have a better chance of trumping the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona who have in the past cherry-picked the best Latin American talents.
Gabriel will now join a long list of talented youth to arrive at Stamford Bridge in recent years. The others on the list include Omari Hutchinson, Cesare Casadei, Zak Sturge, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Gabriel Slonina among others. Surely the Blues can unearth a star or two from their midst.
