Chelsea ‘submit £47m bid’ for Palmeiras wonderkid

Chelsea are reported to be in the process of submitting a huge €55m (£47m) bid to sign 17-year-old Palmeiras winger Estevao.

The teenager, widely known by the 'Messinho' nickname he is keen to shake, has long been of interest to Europe's elite, with Paris Saint-Germain failing with a big-money move to sign both Estevao and Endrick before the latter secured a move to Real Madrid.

Madrid are believed to be keen on Estevao as well but the winger has publicly admitted he hopes to play for Barcelona in the future.

The latest offer from Chelsea, who have already seen two bids for Estevao rejected, is understood to be made up of a £26m up-front fee, with a further £21m in add-ons.

Excitement levels around Estevao are incredibly high and a number of Blues fans recently enjoyed the opportunity to watch him line up opposite 16-year-old Kendry Paez, for whom a £17m deal has already been agreed to sign him from Independiente del Valle in 2025.

Signing the game's top young talents has been a key ambition for Chelsea's owners, who have spent huge sums on the likes of Paez, Cesare Casadei and Deivid Washington with a view to building an elite squad for the next decade.

Chelsea's exorbitant spending has, however, brought accusations of Profit and Sustainability Rules breaches. 90min understands the Blues have always been confident of avoiding any punishments, and recent financial documents appeared to show accounts had been boosted by the £76.5m sale of two hotels to a sister company of the current owners.

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