Chelsea working on deal to sign Brazil teenager with £51million release clause

Chelsea are reportedly ‘working on a deal’ to sign Brazil teenager Estevao Willian who has a release clause worth €60million (£51.5m).

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The 16-year-old has been on Chelsea’s radar since October and is tipped to have a big future, already earning the nickname ‘Messinho’.

Though he has only played 12 minutes of senior football, Palmeiras rate him so highly, they’ve put a huge release clause his contract that expires in 2026.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Estevao is high on Chelsea’s shortlist and they have been working on a way to sign him for the last few months but they face competition from Barcelona.

The Blues have made a habit of signing highly-rated teenagers from Brazil of late, including Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Angelo.

In the meantime, another highly-rated youngster has arrived in west London: Dujuan Richards has officially completed his ‘dream’ move to Chelsea.

Richards signed for the Blues from the Phoenix Academy in Jamaica last summer and trained with Mauricio Pochettino’s side during their pre-season tour of the USA.

However his move to Stamford Bridge could not be finalised until he turned 18, which he did in November.

The centre-forward already has 10 caps for Jamaica and became his country’s youngest goalscorer during last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

‘I’m so pleased to be here,’ Richards told Chelsea’s official website.

‘My dream was always to sign a professional contract and to have the chance to do that here at Chelsea, it’s difficult to put into words the emotions. I just can’t wait to get started.’

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