Chelsea have reportedly been informed that they will have to pay at least €30 million to secure the services of Corinthians midfield sensation Gabriel Moscardo.
According to Brazilian outlet UOL, Chelsea will need to fork out in excess of €30 million to sign Corinthians wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo.
The Blues have already had a €21 million fixed fee plus €4 million in potential add-ons offer for the Corinthians youngster turned down by the Sao Paulo-based club. And they now know the asking price that would be enough to convince Timão of a sale.
The Blues have already spent nearly €400 million on new recruits this summer and roughly over £900 million since the arrival of Todd Boehly back in May 2022. Cole Palmer is the latest arrival, having completed his move to Stamford Bridge. But Chelsea are not finished despite the clock ticking down on deadline day.
The Blues are set to once again look towards Brazil to make a signing for yet another highly-rated prospect. They have been incredibly active in the South American market and have already landed the likes of Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel, and Deivid Washington from the Brazilian Serie A in 2023, while a deal to sign 16-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder Kendry Paez has been put in place for 2025.
Now, they could return again, with highly-coveted 17-year-old Corinthians midfielder Gabriel Moscardo on their agenda. A defensive midfielder by trade, Moscardo has only been promoted to the Corinthians first team this summer and made his first-team debut when he came off the bench in the second half of their Copa Libertadores game against Uruguayan outfit Liverpool in June.
He has since gone on to make ten senior appearances across all competitions and has clearly caught the eye of scouts across the world. Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona, and Nottingham Forest have also watched Moscardo, with several European teams showing an interest in him during the current transfer window.
Chelsea, however, have taken a step further and are the only team that have submitted an official proposal. But even with the option of banking a significant chunk of the transfer fee in cash and keeping the player for another season, Corinthians, who own 80% of Moscardo’s economic rights, turned down the opening offer.
Unlike other Chelsea’s dealings, there is no immediate rush to get this one over the line. Much like Kendry Paez and Dujuan Richards, Moscardo would be too young to immediately join the Blues’ Cobham youth system and would first have to turn 18 years old.
UOL also claims that the talks between the two clubs are for the teenager to only join the Blues’ ranks next summer. The London giants are continuing to try to reach an agreement for the 17-year-old midfielder.
Although Corinthians’ asking price is €30 million, UOL journalist Bruno Andrade has suggested on social media platform X that he would not be “surprised” if the operation gets done for a €25 million package deal as long as Chelsea promise to pay that amount all at once.
