Arsenal and Chelsea will reportedly compete with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the race to sign 16-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian.
According to a report by 90min, the race to sign Estevao Willian is heating up. Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing the 16-year-old prodigy. In addition, other Premier League bigwigs also want to secure his services. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Real Madrid are vying for his signature.
Estevao Willian, better known as Estevao, is the latest wonderkid to emanate from the fabled Palmeiras youth division. The academy has produced well-known stars like Gabriel Jesus and Arthur Cabral. In addition, they are home to highly sought-after Brazilian prodigies like Endrick, who will join Real Madrid next year, and Luis Guilherme.
The 16-year-old has taken age-group football by storm in his homeland while establishing a foothold in Brazil’s Under-20 team. Meanwhile, the teenage sensation has managed two goals and one assist in 14 outings thus far. Estevao’s progress has not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of several high-profile clubs.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are unsurprisingly showing interest in him. Reports last year even claimed that Los Blancos had an agreement to sign him. But no club is close to securing Estevao’s services yet, although recent updates have pointed to the youngster being keen on joining Barcelona.
The two La Liga heavyweights have a rich history of foraying into the Brazilian markets for promising prospects. So, it is understandable that a highly-rated wonderkid like Estevao features on their radar. But Barcelona and Real Madrid face stiff competition from Arsenal and Chelsea for the 16-year-old Brazilian prodigy.
The two Premier League giants have watched the teenage sensation in action. In addition, Manchester City and Manchester United are also taking a keen interest in him. But with Arsenal and Chelsea already having world-class wingers in their squads, Estevao might have to bide his time at the London clubs.
Meanwhile, Brazilian prospects tend to prefer Spain and Ukraine as their destinations in Europe. So, Barcelona and Real Madrid might be best placed to prise him away from Palmeiras. But it will be interesting to see if Arsenal, Chelsea, and other Premier League clubs can beat them to the 16-year-old prodigy.