Chelsea and Manchester City have reportedly made contact with the representatives of Palmeiras midfielder Patrick de Paula over the possibility of a transfer.
According to an exclusive report from Sport Witness, Premier League bigwigs and 2020/21 UEFA Champions League finalists, Chelsea and Manchester City, are keeping close tabs on Palmeiras’ young midfielder Patrick de Paula ahead of the summer transfer window.
A product of the Palmeiras academy, Patrick made his first-team debut last year and has quickly gone about establishing himself as a regular in the starting XI. So far, the 21-year-old, who is a central midfielder primarily and can play as a No. 6 or a No. 10, has made 56 appearances for the Brazilian outfit, contributing with six goals and an assist, winning the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Cup in the process.
An all-action midfielder who excels at both attacking and defensive aspects in the middle of the park, Patrick has now attracted the interest of two of the biggest clubs in England in the form of Chelsea and Manchester City, heading into the summer transfer window.
Chelsea, as things stand, are well-stocked in midfield with the first-choice trio of Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho being covered for by the promising Billy Gilmour. In addition, Thomas Tuchel will soon be welcoming back some the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Conor Gallagher among others from their loan spells.
However, their long-term futures at the club are far from assured with Loftus-Cheek already being courted by Southampton. And with Kante turning 30 earlier this year, signing a young central midfielder who can grow into the first-team to replace the Frenchman in the long run would make sense for the west London giants.
To that end, they have previously been linked with a move for Palmeiras’ very own Gabriel Menino but have now also cast their glances towards his teammate, Patrick. However, Chelsea will have to face competition from rivals Manchester City in pursuit of the 21-year-old Brazilian.
The report states that Manchester City have been tracking Patrick for quite some time now and a move for him would be warranted given as the newly-crowned Premier League champions need a long-term replacement for 36-year-old club captain Fernandinho, who is already in the final few weeks of his current contract, although he is expected to pen a one-year extension.
While Manchester City have previously been linked with West Ham United’s Declan Rice, who is also a target for Chelsea, a move for Patrick could be cost-effective one for the Cityzens given as Palmeiras are demanding only €25 million for the 21-year-old. As things stand, both Chelsea and Manchester City have made exploratory contacts with Palmeiras as well as Patrick’s agent. It now remains to be seen if that translates into a formal offer come summer.