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Chelsea may have been handed a considerably cheaper route to Gabriel Bontempo, with Santos’ demands at just €12m (£10.4m).

If that information is correct, it also raises some pretty obvious questions about another recent claim surrounding the midfielder.

Chelsea and BlueCo have been monitoring the Santos youngster, with reports suggesting they could eventually use Strasbourg as his first destination in Europe.

Bayern Munich were then presented as serious competition. RTI Esporte claimed the German club had signalled a €32m (£27.7m) offer, while Santos supposedly wanted €49m (£42.4m).

The latest information from Bruno Andrade at ESPN Brazil paints a very different picture.

€12m changes the story

Gabriel Bontempo
Gabriel Bontempo

Andrade reports Santos have now set €12m (£10.4m) as the figure required to start negotiations for Bontempo. That’s less than half the amount Bayern were supposedly prepared to offer.

So, if ESPN’s information is accurate, it’s difficult to see how the previous numbers fit together.

Santos accepting talks from €12m (£10.4m) shortly after receiving a €32m (£27.7m) signal would make little sense. The earlier Bayern story therefore has to be treated with considerably more caution.

The €49m (£42.4m) valuation is easier to understand. That’s the sort of money Santos would obviously love to get for one of their best young players. But their actual financial situation doesn’t give them quite that luxury.

ESPN says Santos have cash-flow problems and are considering a Bontempo sale as a way of bringing money into the club.

They’ve also just added two very expensive names to their squad. Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho has arrived, as has Arthur, previously of Barcelona and Juventus. Those are ambitious additions for a club already carrying considerable debt.

Something has to pay for those wages over the medium term.

Chelsea opportunity comes as Bontempo takes another step

Santos would still like to protect themselves on the sporting side. According to ESPN, they are willing to arrange Bontempo’s sale now but want him to remain until the end of the Brazilian season.

That makes sense given his importance to their recent improvement. Santos have managed to pull away from the lower end of the Brasileirão table. Neymar naturally gets much of the attention, but Bontempo has become another important part of that recovery.

He has one goal and two assists in the league. He’s been even more productive in the Copa Sudamericana, with three goals and an assist, and Santos are now in the quarter-finals.

Then came another major boost to his reputation. Bontempo has received his first Brazil call-up from Carlo Ancelotti, which isn’t going to make him any less attractive to European clubs.

For Chelsea, the situation suddenly looks considerably more inviting. BlueCo were already following Bontempo when much bigger numbers were being thrown around in Brazil. If €12m (£10.4m) really is enough to bring Santos to the negotiating table, that’s a very different proposition.

And with the player now reaching the Brazil squad, waiting too long could see that price start moving in the other direction.

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