Chelsea have joined Arsenal in keeping tabs on Corinthians youngster Iago Machado, with the 17-year-old now taking his first proper steps in senior football.
Arsenal’s interest in the 17-year-old was already reported earlier this year. At the time, Ajax were also looking at him. Now, Brazil’s Lance! brings Chelsea into the picture and provides more detail on how long the English interest has been there.
The Brazilian outlet says representatives of both Arsenal and Chelsea have watched Iago since this year’s Brazilian Youth Cup. His performances at youth level caught their attention and both London clubs have continued to follow his progress.
There is now plenty more for them to watch. Iago has gone from training with the Corinthians first team to starting at the Maracanã against Flamengo, the league leaders.
Corinthians lost to a late goal, but the teenager came away with plenty of credit. He produced 14 defensive contributions during the match. That’s a pretty serious first test for a 17-year-old defender.
Iago making the jump at Corinthians
Manager Dorival Júnior initially brought Iago into the senior setup earlier this year. Fernando Diniz has since taken charge and kept the youngster in his plans.
Iago continued training with the first team and started making matchday squads. Diniz then trusted him from the start against Flamengo at Brazil’s most famous stadium.
That’s quite a jump from when Arsenal’s interest was first reported. Back then, Iago was training with the professionals and Corinthians were considering using him in senior matches. He is now actually getting those opportunities.
Why Arsenal and Chelsea are watching
Iago joined Corinthians at a very young age and actually started in futsal, where he played as a pivot. He moved into central defence when making the transition to the full-sized game.
In 2025, Iago became an Under-17 starter earlier than Corinthians had expected for his age. A trip to Spain for the Andalusia Tournament also helped strengthen his reputation inside the club.
His attacking numbers from defence are particularly interesting. Iago has four goals and two assists from 25 appearances for Corinthians’ Under-20s. Before that, he scored nine times in 40 matches at Under-17 level. That’s 13 goals across 65 appearances in the two age groups.
Corinthians know what they have
Corinthians are well aware of the European attention and have already taken steps to protect the youngster.
Iago signed a contract amendment last year and his current deal runs until April 2028. His domestic release clause stands at €10.5m (£9.1m). For foreign clubs, the clause is €100m (around £87m).
Giuliano Bertolucci manages Iago’s career and is also overseeing his transition into professional football.
Chelsea entering the picture gives Arsenal another Premier League rival to think about. The fact both clubs have followed him since the Copinha suggests this goes beyond one good performance or a quick scouting trip.
And Iago is now giving them something new to judge. Youth football is one thing of course. But starting against the Brazilian league leaders at the Maracanã is another. His huge defensive contribution suggest the step up hasn’t fazed him so far.
