Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Willian Estevao from Palmeiras. The Blues are set to pay an initial fee of €34 million with another €23 million in add-ons.
As per a report in BBC, Estevao has agreed terms to join Chelsea in 2025. The 17-year-old cannot leave the country until he turns 18 and thus has to wait for another year.
The Brazilian teenager had a €55 million release clause in his contract, but Chelsea have now agreed a €2 million premium on it to sign him up a year before he can move. The Blues faced competition from PSG, Arsenal and Barcelona, while Bayern Munich were also keeping tabs on the youngster.
Chelsea’s co-sporting director, Laurence Stewart, led the negotiations for the teenager and was determined to snap him up. The Blues missed out on Endrick last summer after ending negotiations due to the fee demanded by Palmeiras but were unwilling to walk away from Estevao.
Estevao commented on the interest earlier this month and said:
“My head is 100% focused on Palmeiras. I don’t think about that, I think about how I’m going to do my best on the field today and help Palmeiras achieve their goals. This remains in the background and I try to do my best on the field to bring joy to the Palmeiras fans.”
Barcelona were told to sign Chelsea target
Andre Cury, the agent who took Vitor Roque to Barcelona, urged them to sign Willian Estevao too. The Brazilian claimed that youngster was very similar to Neymar and said in an interview with RAC1:
“In my opinion, Barcelona should consider signing Messinho because he will give a lot of joy to Barca alongside Vitor Roque. I bet a lot on Messinho because he is the new Neymar.”
Palmeiras boss Abel Ferreira spoke about Estevao earlier this month and claimed that he was going to request the president to keep the youngster until 2027. He believes that the teenager is one of the best and plays better than anyone in the team. He said:
“I’m going to ask the president [Leila Pereira] not to sell him. Let him stay with us until 2027. I really think this player is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He defends, attacks and makes his presence felt in all aspects. He is an example for all our players. He gives his all, makes mistakes but goes again and gets it right. He never shies away from a challenge.”
The youngster, who is nicknamed ‘Messinho, will join Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Ângelo at Chelsea. Kendry Paez, another youngster signed by the Blues will also be moving next summer.
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