Chelsea are set to complete the signing of the Palmeiras prodigy Estêvão Willian for a fee in the region of €60m (£51.4m).
The 17-year-old winger is regarded as one of the best talents in Brazil and Chelsea were determined not to miss out on him.
They have agreed to pay Palmeiras an initial €34m, with add-ons taking the overall figure to just over €60m. That will make Estêvão, who is nicknamed Messinho, the most expensive teenage player from South America ever.
It is a huge leap of faith from Chelsea but the deal is another sign of their strategy of targeting the best young talent in the world. They did not want a repeat of their failure to sign another Palmeiras teenager, Endrick, who opted for Real Madrid. Endrick, 17, scored Brazil’s winner against England at Wembley in March.
Negotiations over Estêvão were overseen by Chelsea’s co-sporting director, Laurence Stewart, and their scouting in South America is expected to continue. The club are building a strong presence in the region.
Chelsea have scoured Brazil for young talent in the past two years, signing Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Ângelo. There is also a significant buzz about them signing the gifted Ecuadorian teenager Kendry Páez, who will arrive at Stamford Bridge in 2025.
