Chelsea have a busy summer ahead of them as they look to improve their foundations and aim to kick on following yet another difficult season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s young Blues squad has had to deal with many injuries for much of the campaign, culminating in major inconsistency results-wise.
However, two solid wins against London rivals in a row have put Chelsea within reach of a Europa League place, so there’s definitely some optimism going forward.
With the summer transfer window on the horizon, we could yet see the Blues bolster their ranks further.
And now, according to journalist Rudy Galetti, the Blues are frontrunners for a £47million prodigy who has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and likened to Lionel Messi.
Palmeiras' forward Estevao Willian (L) and Independiente del Valle's defender Richard Schunke (R) fight for the ball during the Copa Libertadores g...
Galetti has taken to X to claim that “Chelsea are leading the race and aim to reach an agreement with Palmeiras soon, as told.”
The journalist also spoke about interest from Bayern Munich in the 17-year-old, while Barcelona are out of the race and Real Madrid are focused elsewhere.
Last week, UOL reported that Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have also been in talks with Palmeiras over Estevao.
The Brazilian outlet claimed that the ‘English team’ was offering €30million (£25million) up front with add-ons taking it to €55-60million (£47-51million).
From €45million (£39million) upwards, the add-ons would become more rigorous, with such targets as the number of goals he scores, appearances in European competition and international call-ups.
Estevao would be a great acquisition for Chelsea and yet another statement of intent with regards to putting together a team full of potential future superstars.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout has compared the ‘spectacular dribbler’ to Lionel Messi and Takefusa Kubo, as well as deeming him a 10 out of 10 in terms of potential.
Meanwhile, fellow scouting outlet SFTBL wrote: ‘Estevao consistently makes amazing moments happen.
‘Some are just smart, orthodox moves, others are wacky, outside-of-the-box moves that other players wouldn’t even think of.
‘The crux of his brilliance is that he has the smarts, the technique, and the athleticism to make so many different things just… work.’