According to The Pitch Prospect, Chelsea are close to completing a £56million deal with Brazilian teenage sensation Estevao Willian from Palmeiras.
The 17-year-old winger was also wanted by Barcelona, but the Blues have won the race for one of the next future stars off the Brazilian production line.
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Estevao has come to the attention of some of the world’s top clubs after an impressive breakthrough in his home country, but has been considered one of Brazil’s brightest talents for years.
Due to the similarities between his playing style and that of the Argentine maestro, Estevao was nicknamed “Messinho” – or “Little Messi”. At just ten years old, he received a sponsorship deal with Nike – making him the youngest Brazilian to sign a deal with the global sporting goods manufacturer giant.
He began his youth career with Cruzeiro in 2017 before moving to Palmeiras in 2021, making his senior debut for the Sao Paulo club in December 2023 at the age of 16.
So far, Estevao has only made 17 first-team appearances for Palmeiras, scoring three goals and providing one assist, but Chelsea have clearly seen enough to justify another huge transfer fee.
However, fans will have to wait to see the Brazilian prodigy in action as he will not officially join the Blues until 2025, when he turns 18.
Estevao will sign a seven-year contract with the west London club, with the option of a further year.
The £56million package will make the teenager the most expensive export in South American football history when completed.
Neymar appeared to hold that record thanks to his £63m transfer from Santos to Barcelona, before an investigation into the deal revealed that £34m of that fee actually went to Neymar’s parents and the Brazilian club only paid the rest.
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Brazil’s top young talents are typically snapped up by Spanish giants, with Real Madrid spending a total of £118m to sign Vinicius Jr from Flamengo, Rodrygo from Santos and Endrick, who will finally arrive from Palmeiras this summer after initially signing a Recontracted with him in 2022.
Chelsea – who actually agreed a deal for Endrick first, only for Todd Boehly to pull the plug – will be hoping Estevao can emulate those stars in the Premier League when he eventually arrives.
It’s been an incredible six months for the youngster, who has developed from Palmeiras’ youth team – where he won four trophies in two different age groups – and participation in the U17 World Cup to becoming a regular in the club’s senior team.
And it seems the Messi connections aren’t just for fun: Palmeiras youth director Joao Paulo Sampaio is convinced Brazil youth international Estevao is destined for great success.
When asked how he compares to his Real Madrid-bound teammate Endrick, Sampaio told Spanish newspaper AS: “Estevao has more technical talent than them, but he is not yet physically mature.”
“He’s a year younger and genetically still doesn’t have the build of the other two, but he’s a super phenomenon.
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“His left foot is really special. The control he has is incredible and his speed with the ball is amazing.
“The Palmeiras photographer took a series of 100 photos of him running with the ball and in all of them he came out with the ball stuck to his left foot.”
And when asked where he feels most comfortable on the pitch, Estevao told Mundo Deportivo: “I can play on the right side, but I feel more comfortable floating in the middle, so I’m closer to the penalty area. “
“I can turn left and right and feel freer when playing there.”