Chelsea target Brazilian teenager and Swedish starlet

Oli Fisher
Thiago Maia: Wanted by Chelsea

Thiago Maia: Wanted by Chelsea

Chelsea appear to be closing in on securing the signing of highly-rated Brazilian starlet Thiago Maia from Santos.

The 19-year-old has attracted much interest after impressing for the Brasileiro Serie A side, with Paris Saint-Germain also rumoured to be after the player.

Currently on a contract until 2019, Maia has played over 40 times for Santos in the league, and their president Modesto Roma is believed to have arrived in London where he will hold negotiations with Chelsea.

According to the London Evening Standard, Chelsea are ready to pay £15million for Thiago Maia, who is currently playing for Brazil at the Olympics.

The paper go on to state that while an official bid has not been made yet, the Blues are expected to launch an official bid for Maia after the Games.

This will be helped by the fact that the player looks set to make Giuliano Bertolucci his new agent, and he is a man who has a close relationship with Chelsea.

Antonio Conte’s men are looking to bolster their defence with the signing of Benfica star Victor Lindelof as an alternative to Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Swedish international has a£25m release clause, but the Standard state that Chelsea are not willing to pay that price.

The Stamford Bridge side are also not giving up on Shkodran Mustafi, who is also attracting serious interest from London rivals Arsenal.