Chelsea are reportedly “working on a deal” to sign Brazilian teenage sensation Estevao Willian, who has a release clause worth €60 million.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea hold an advantage over Barcelona in the race to sign Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian.
Willian, nicknamed “Messinho” in his home country, has long piqued the attentions of a number of Europe’s most decorated clubs. Over the course of the last couple of weeks alone, all of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Chelsea have been tipped as potential landing spots for the 16-year-old, who has only played 12 minutes of senior football.
Willian has appeared for Palmeiras’ youth side 14 times in the 2023 season, scoring two and assisting once from the wing. With Brazil seemingly producing attackers of world-class potential on a regular basis, Estevao is next in line for a big-money switch.
At one point, PSG were considered the clear favourites for his signature. The player himself is understood to be keen on the prospect of a move to Spain with Barcelona. However, if the latest media reports are to be believed, the Blaugrana cannot make a move due to their well-documented financial troubles and the recent investment in versatile attacker Vitor Roque.
Instead, Chelsea looks set to close an imminent deal for one of South American football’s most highly coveted talents. As per the aforementioned Mundo Deportivo, the Blues are willing to activate Willian’s €60 million release clause.
If signed, the youngster is likely to remain in Brazil until he turns 18, in 2025, before making the move to Stamford Bridge, following in the footsteps of the likes of Deivid Washington and Angelo Gabriel.
Mauricio Pochettino is likely to be busy in the winter transfer window after spending over €500 million in the summer, the highest of all 20 Premier League sides.
With strong links to Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Brentford’s Ivan Toney, a new striker is a top priority for the Chelsea boss, so it remains questionable whether they would fork out as much as €60 million on a 16-year-old when they desperately need a goal-getter.
