Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly tussling for the signature of Santos’ latest wunderkind Kaio Jorge, who is tipped for a move to Europe this summer.
According to an exclusive report from Daily Star, Arsenal and Chelsea are involved in the race to sign Kaio Jorge. The Santos prodigy has attracted interest from host of Europe and is being tipped as the “new Ronaldo” after raising a lot of eyebrows with his performances in his native Brazil.
A product of the famed Santos youth academy, Kaio Jorge made his professional debut last year and has notched up 66 competitive appearances for the club. Although his tally of 13 goals might not exactly seem impressive, the forward has constantly put in remarkable performances in both the Brazilian top-flight as well as the Copa Libertadores.
In fact, Chelsea and Arsenal are not the only clubs involved in the chase to sign the youngster, as Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus are also reportedly keen on his services.
The Premier League giants might be at a disadvantage as well, thanks to the regulations put in place after Brexit. Arsenal, nevertheless, are hoping to replicate the success they had with the acquisition of Gabriel Martinelli by signing another Brazilian prodigy.
The Gunners are already on the lookout for attacking reinforcements this summer, as they prepare for the departures of Alexander Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, who is reportedly courted by Watford. Kaio Jorge could fit in nicely in the Arsenal camp, as Mikel Arteta hopes to revolve his team around young players in the upcoming campaign.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are expected to offload Tammy Abraham in the summer as the forward is not favoured by Thomas Tuchel. They are also set to lose Olivier Giroud following the end of this contract, leaving the Blues devoid of reliable attacking options in the number nine position.
It paves the way ideally for Kaio Jorge to become the primary alternative for Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Chelsea, though, are expected to invest big on a new centre forward this summer and are particularly looking into the possibility of signing former striker Romelu Lukaku.
Another target for Chelsea is Tottenham Hotspur’s unsettled striker Harry Kane, but Lukaku appears to be a more realistic option, especially with Inter Milan in dire need of selling a few of their stars.
Kaio Jorge himself, though, might personally favour a move elsewhere and it won’t be surprising to see him preferring a move to Germany or Italy, in search of more game-time. Leverkusen, in particular, could emerge as an appealing destination given the number of South American talents they have signed lately. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if either of Arsenal and Chelsea can land the “new Ronaldo”.