Chelsea in negotiations to acquire Estevao Willian from Palmeiras for £27.5m plus extras, as ‘Messinho’ shows interest in joining Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are pressing ahead with talks for Palmeiras winger Estevao Willian.

The 17-year old will cost around £27.5million plus substantial add ons and he is keen to make the move to London.

Mail Sport reported on Monday that Estevao was one of a number of South American talents that Chelsea have been tracking while they are also keen on Shakhtar Donetsk’s 21-year old playmaker Georgiy Sudakov.

Estevao, known as Messinho or Little Messi, cannot leave Brazil until he turns 18 next April but Chelsea are keen to head off competition amid interest from Arsenal and Barcelona.

They have still to hold official talks with Palmeiras but Estevao’s entourage have been made aware they are ready to formalise their interest for the left-footed right winger.

Meanwhile, Hakim Ziyech is preparing to make his loan to Galatasaray a permanent move this summer. 

Willian, who is a team-mate of Real Madrid-bound Endrick, sees his current contract at Palmeiras run until 2026.

Usually deployed on the right flank, Willian is a skillful player who joined Palmeiras in 2021 having previously been at Cruzeiro’s academy.

In 2018, when he was just ten years old, Willian became the youngest player to ever sign a deal with Nike, surpassing Rodrygo.

The youngster, who has also been linked with Barcelona, won an array of trophies with Palmeiras at youth level and has now made 14 senior appearances.

If Willian does leave then the deal could be similar to the one that will see Endrick join Real Madrid when he turns 18 in July.

A deal was agreed in December 2022 for Endrick to join Real for an initial fee of £30million (€35million) plus £21million (€25million) in bonuses.