Chelsea officially confirmed the £28 million signing of Willian Estevao from Palmeiras on Saturday.
Brazilian winger Estevao will join the Blues next year after he celebrates his 18th birthday in late April.
‘Chelsea Football Club has agreed a deal to sign teenage forward Estevao Willian from Palmeiras, with the Brazilian to officially join Chelsea next summer,’ read a statement from the Stamford Bridge outfit.
‘The 17-year-old has already built a strong reputation in South America as one of the most exciting talents around due to his skilful dribbling and electric pace, causing defences plenty of problems in his breakout season in senior football.
‘Estevao has featured 10 times in the Brazilian Serie A for Palmeiras, contributing two goals and two assists, as well as also finding the net in the Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil.’
Teenage forward Willian Estevao will join Chelsea from Brazilian club Palmeiras next summer
Estevao, who is a pacy player and likes to run with the ball, will cost Chelsea £28 million
The statement added: ‘The exciting forward, who joins fellow Brazilians Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Angelo Gabriel at Stamford Bridge, has also featured for his nation at youth level.’
As well as joining the list of Brazilian players at Chelsea, Estevao is now the 13th teenager to be signed by the Blues since Todd Boehly took control of the club in 2022.
Those teens have cost a total of £249.4m in combined transfer fees, with Romeo Lavia the most expensive.
Midfielder Lavia cost £58m when he arrived from Southampton in August 2023 but played just once for the Blues last season due to injury issues.
Chelsea have now spent £249.4m on buying teenage players under chairman Todd Boehly
Romeo Lavia cost Chelsea £58m last summer but only played once in the 2023-24 season
Estevao is unlikely to be Chelsea’s last teenage recruit before the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
Indeed, Boehly is close to finalising a £19m deal for Aston Villa midfielder Omari Kellyman.
