‘Out-Of-This-World Talent’: Chelsea Eyeing Brazilian ‘Messinho’ Amid Barcelona Interest

Chelsea are actively scouting Estevao Willian, hoping to add the Brazilian wonderkid to their squad in the future. The Blues have remained in the transfer race despite facing competition from several elite sides across Europe, including Barcelona.

Chelsea in Race to Sign Estevao Willian

An ‘Out-Of-This-World’ Talent

Estevao’s rise to prominence started when he surpassed Neymar and Rodrygo to become the youngest-ever Brazilian footballer to land a sponsorship deal with Nike. At the age of ten, he earned the nickname “Messinho” or “little Messi” for his exceptional dribbling skills, attracting interest from several top academies across Brazil.

Estevao joined Palmeiras in 2021, quickly developing into one of Brazil’s most promising young forwards. Last season, he made five senior appearances for the club, getting his first taste of silverware as they won the Brazilian Serie A.

Joao Paulo Sampaio, the head of Palmeiras youth setup, has said of the 16-year-old: “One thing these kinds of players have is a strong personality, a big ego to say: ‘I am, I can and I will’.

“For these out-of-this-world talents, things come easy. It’s difficult for your average player, who make up the vast majority.”

Interest From Chelsea

Estevao’s performances have intensified speculations about his future ahead of the summer transfer window. Rumours have emerged of interest from a number of elite European sides, including Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

However, more reliable sources have only named Chelsea and Barcelona as the two sides in the race for the Brazilian wonderkid.

A new report from Fabrizio Romano claims that Chelsea have “constantly” sent scouts to watch Estevao since October 2023. The teenage winger has a £51 million release clause at Palmeiras, but the Blues are yet to make a formal bid to sign him.

The Blues could face competition from Barcelona, who lost a close transfer race to sign Endrick from Palmeiras in 2022. However, the Catalans might decide against pursuing a move for the youngster due to their financial issues and having an abundance of attacking options.