Chelsea leapfrog Man Utd in race to sign the ‘next Lionel Messi’ despite Ratcliffe’s €90m promise

Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian has emerged as a target for Manchester United but Chelsea have reportedly leapfrogged their rivals in the race.

The 16-year-old winger has earned the nickname ‘Messinho’ due to his sky-high potential and supposed similarities with Lionel Messi, which is high praise indeed.

Chelsea have a proven track record of developing hot prospects and want to continue that trend by making a move for the Palmeiras star.

Manchester United are reportedly ‘willing to pay over €90m’ to sign Estevao as Sir Jim Ratcliffe aims to build a squad that can dominate European football in the future.

However, according to Brazilian outlet Jovem Pan, Chelsea are ‘the main contenders’ for the teenager, while Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona also hold a concrete interest in him.

READ MORE: Chelsea ready to splash £43m on La Liga star as Blues face Barcelona, Liverpool competition

Estevao has only made five senior appearances so far for Palmeiras, but his performances at youth level have earned him rave reviews.

Chelsea will have to cough up a big fee to sign the Brazilian and may have to sell players before they can do so, but will reportedly do everything they can to bring him in.

Chelsea tipped to beat Man Utd to Estevao Willian

Jovem Pam state that Chelsea, PSG and Barcelona have been ‘gathering information’ on Estevao over the past few months and are poised to swoop in for his signature.

The Blues’ scouts have kept a close eye on the youngster’s recent performances and have decided that he is a priority signing for the future.

Estevao scored his first goal for the Palmeiras first team earlier this week in the Copa Libertadores – the biggest competition in South America.

Chelsea representatives were in attendance to see the goal and his performance has reportedly convinced them to make their move.

As mentioned, however, the Blues will need to part ways with several players before sanctioning any more big-money signings due to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

Selling homegrown players would help Chelsea in terms of PSR and as exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk, Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja are three of their most likely sales of the summer. 

The accounts of all Premier League clubs for this season must be submitted before June 30th, so you can expect at least one of the trio to leave before then.

If Chelsea can generate a decent sum from player sales, Estevao will reportedly be one of the first players they look to bring in.

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