Chelsea are pulling out all the shots to secure the signing of Brazilian wonderkid Endrick.
If Jude Bellingham is set to be the huge transfer extravaganza of the summer then Endrick, a player dubbed the 'next Neymar', is the undercard that people actually want to watch. He's the brilliant chassis on a gorgeous car. Sure, sign Bellingham and likely dominate midfields for the next five years, but sign Endrick and dominate the attack for 10.
It's not often, though ever increasing in the world of hyper attention on anyone that can do four kick ups and a little flick on the playground, that such a young player becomes the centre of a mass frenzy. Endrick is The One.
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Chelsea, amongst every other team out there, are interested in bringing the teenager in. He wouldn't be able to leave Brazil until he's 18, but to sign this mercurial vat of energy and to have him in the armoury as an exciting underbelly as a beacon of light for Todd Boehly's vision at Stamford Bridge would be a major coup.
They're also pulling out all the stops to get it done. According to The Times, Chelsea have played their trump card and used 38-year-old veteran Thiago Silva to influence the deal. Silva was on the verge of making his debut for his country when Endrick was born. The Palmeiras striker was two when the defender played his first major international tournament, he was four when Silva played the first of three World Cups.
He's the youngest player ever to play for the club and already has three senior league goals. Silva, it is said, has spoken to Endrick's family and the player after Chelsea arranged for them to go to Cobham. His father, Douglas, is conducting the negotiations and he was looked after in Surrey as Silva was used as a role model and a idol for the move.
No deal can be done until a pre-agreement for a move when he turns 18, but the foundations for a deal are being done after he scored a staggering 165 goals in 169 games for the academy sides. Most academy players are only just becoming known at 16, Endrick has completed that level and gone far and beyond already.
Having already spent more than £50m on teenagers over the summer Todd Boehly is not scared to splash out for players and the future of the club, Endrick's transfer may have to match that sum alone, such is the competition. For now though, the more Silva the better for the youngster, it can hardly hurt to show off a player with such esteem having such a good time at SW6, that may be an advantage other clubs can't match.
Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain underwent a similar path, Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid likewise, Liverpool have Alisson. Silva has more caps than them all.
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