CHELSEA REACH VERBAL AGREEMENT TO SIGN PALMEIRAS' ESTEVAO WILLIAN

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Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement to sign Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian from Palmeiras.

The Premier League club will pay €34million up front for the 17-year-old winger with another €23m tied to performance-based incentives at both his current club and his new one.

He will move to Stamford Bridge officially in 2025 when he turns 18 and sign what is expected to be at least a seven-year contract.

The Brazilian club agreed a similar structure of deal with Real Madrid for Endrick in December 2022 with an initial €35m down payment plus €25m in bonuses. He moves to Spain officially in July.

Estevao has been followed by Chelsea for a number of years with the club seeing him as a talent on a similar level to his soon-to-be former team-mate.

Nicknamed ‘Messinho’ in his native Brazil, Estevao made his first-team debut for Palmeiras last season.

The teenager has scored once in six Serie A appearances this season, with Palmeiras ninth after taking eight points from their six matches so far.

He also scored three and assisted three at the Under-17 World Cup last year where Brazil reached the quarter-finals.

Estevao would become the latest young Brazilian recruited by Chelsea, with compatriots Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Angelo all arriving at Stamford Bridge in recent years.

The trio have been limited in first team opportunities so far, with Andrey Santos and Angelo both spending the 2023-24 season out on loan.