Earlier this month, UOL reported Chelsea are preparing to make an offer of €30m fixed fee plus €25m in bonuses for Palmeiras wonderkid Estêvão Willian. At the weekend, the same source stated the Blues are talking daily with the Brazilian club.
Two days ago, journalist Jorge Nicola reported Palmeiras should be about to close the negotiations with Chelsea for the 17-year-old.
This is backed up by AS, who state Chelsea ‘take the lead in closing’ the deal for the Brazil U17 international.
Estêvão is on the agenda of several top European clubs and has a €60m release clause.
It’s claimed Chelsea are planning to make their first offer at the end of this season, which will include €30m fixed fee plus the rest in bonuses. The Brazilian club’s idea is to collect €45m up front and take the overall deal to beyond €60m.
Sources close to the winger have told AS that they expect Bayern Munich to join the race. The Bundesliga side, who have been following Estêvão since the start of this year, have made first contact with Palmeiras, without tabling a formal offer.
Chelsea still seem to be leading the chase for the youngster, according to UOL. Estêvão, also known as Messinho, had earlier stated he dreams of joining Barcelona. This option is now difficult to achieve for various reasons, including Vitor Roque.
The striker has struggled for regular minutes at the Camp Nou and his agent, André Cury, has publicly criticised the La Liga side. The representative also manages Estêvão, and UOL claim his relationship with Barca is ‘very troubled’ because of Roque.
It’s claimed the ‘open war’ between Cury and Barca brings Estêvão ‘closer to Chelsea’. In fact, the report states the attacker’s next destination is likely to be the west London club.
UOL columnist Danilo Lavieri has also shared a short update on the teenager.
“What I heard is: You can say he stays until the [2025 Club] World Cup. In our ideal plan, he stays until December 2025,” he said.
Estêvão won’t be able to move to Europe until he turns 18 years of age in April 2025.
