Chelsea continue to pursue 16-year-old winger Estevao
Chelsea are pushing hard to snap up Palmeiras winger Esteval for 90 minutes to find out.
16-year-old Estevao is widely hailed as one of South America’s best talents, with scouts from many of the world’s top clubs following his performances at youth level in both Palmeiras and Brazil.
Chelsea wants to explore the South American market. The Blues signed midfielder Andrey Santos in January 2023 and winger Angelo last summer, while 16-year-old Kendry Paez has agreed a move to Stamford Bridge in 2025.
Sources close to the situation told 90min that Chelsea are very interested in adding. Estevao because of his young talent and is keen to agree a transfer fee with Palmeiras, who are demanding full payment of his €60m (£51.6m) release clause.
Chelsea would prefer to avoid triggering a clause that requires full upfront payment and instead strike a deal that would allow them to pay in instalments, spreading the total cost over a number of years. At the same time, the activation of the penalty is not excluded.
Although Chelsea want to complete the deal soon, Blues officials are in no rush to make a final decision, certain that Barcelona, the main rivals for Estevao’s signature, cannot compete financially at this stage or move quickly to sign him. .
“Fair play affects many teams, but we have no way to get new players,andquot; said the sports director of Barca Deco after the final loss of the Supercopa de Espana against Real Madrid. “This is the reality”
Chelsea’s biggest stumbling block, however, is Estevao’s public desire to join Barcelona. The youngster has been open about his desire to move to Catalonia and Chelsea are well aware of his feelings.
Chelsea are trying to secure Estevao’s commitment as soon as possible, before Barcelona have a chance to raise the cash and start a strong competition for his signature. Estevao cannot move to Europe until the summer of 2025 and could theoretically delay a decision on his next club until then, but Chelsea are hoping to reach an agreement sooner rather than later..
