Snak

Chelsea have finalised an agreement to make Palmeiras forward Estevao Willian their first signing of the summer sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk, with how the fee will be broken down for the player branded the ‘next Lionel Messi’ also emerging.

Estevao Willian to Chelsea: Details of the transfer fee revealed

The 17-year-old has been on the Blues radar for quite some time; scouts of the Blues first sounding him out as a player of interest while still only 14 and in the first Frank Lampard era at Stamford Bridge.

Having tracked him for some years, the Blues have not been alone in their interest in the player. Branded a ‘Messinho’ due to his sky-high potential and similar playing style to Lionel Messi, the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Arsenal and PSG have all been alerted to his potential.

But it is Chelsea who have long been in the driving seat for a deal and, having had a number of offers for the Palmeiras winger knocked back, sources close to TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent Fraser Gillan have now confirmed a deal has been agreed after a few days of extensive talks.

The total package for the 17-year-old will reach a huge £55m (€64m) which puts him fifth on the all-time most expensive teenagers of all time list.

His Palmeias teammate Endrick (signing for Real Madrid this summer for €72m), as well as Matthijs de Ligt (€85m), Joao Felix (€126m) and Kylian Mbappe (€180m) are the only players above him.

We can reveal Chelsea have agreed to pay Palmeiras an initial £36m (€42m) for the five-times capped Brazil U17s star, with the fee to peak at £55m (€64m) once add-ons are taken into account.

Lengthy contract and personal terms agreed

Personal terms have already been agreed with Estevao Willian set to sign a lengthy deal at Stamford Bridge, potentially through to 2032, with the Blues forced to act fast to nail the player down due to the growing interest in his services.

For Palmeiras, it represents a second major sale of the year for the Sao Paulo based side, with the departure too of Endrick to Real Madrid netting them a combined €136m (£116.6m).

However, unlike his teammate who can move to the Bernabeu this summer, Brexit laws in this country means Chelsea will have to wait until the summer of 2025 before the player makes the move to London, given he does not turn 18 – the required age to get a work permit now in the UK – until next April.

Brentford have confirmed the departure of set piece expert Bernardo Cueva, who will make the move across west London to join Chelsea. An agreement was reportedly reached with Chelsea back in March, with Cueva continuing to work for the Bees until the end of the season.

Chelsea have reportedly paid Brentford £750,000 to add Cueva to the club´s backroom staff, according to Fabrizio Romano. Cueva had worked at Brentford as the club´s tactical statistician, with the role including work on their set pieces.

Emma Hayes landed her seventh WSL title with Chelsea on Saturday after a 6-0 victory away at Manchester United, with title rivals Manchester City winning 2-1 at Aston Villa. The win meant that Chelsea claimed the title on goal difference ahead of Hayes´ departure for the United States, where she is set to take over the States´ women´s national team

Chelsea reach verbal agreement to sign Brazilian gem Willian Estevão, here we go!

Palmeiras ready to accept final bid worth €40m plus €25m add-ons. Personal terms agreed 10 days ago, Estevão will join Chelsea in 2025. Just waiting for Palmeiras president to sign

Estêvão Willian will not go out on loan once he joins Chelsea from Palmeiras in 2025. The plan is ´very clear’, He will be considered for the first-team immediately. They believe he is ´super special´.

- Romano

Chelsea will pay around €40m-fixed for Estêvão, as reported earlier. Chelsea happy with deal structure and view Estêvão as an exceptional talent. Widely accepted in the industry as a standout player.

- Jacobs