Chelsea hatch new Estevao Willian plan as 'next Neymar' prepares for transfer
Chelsea have drawn up a plan for summer signing Estevao Willian to visit the club ahead of his move to Stamford Bridge being made official next year.
The Blues agreed a deal with Palmeiras worth an initial £30million for the teenager, rising to £51m in add-ons, enabling him to join in the summer of 2025 after turning 18.
Still on the books of Palmeiras as he awaits a full-time switch to the English capital, Estevao has been shining in his home country of Brazil by scoring nine goals and seven assists in 22 league appearances this term earning comparisons to the Brazilian legend Neymar.
Now blocked from training with Palmeiras, however, Estevao has been told to stay away from the training ground by manager Abel Ferreira after sustaining a muscle injury and was 'blocked' from participating. “When he arrived, he didn’t sleep at all and wanted to train," said Ferreira. "But we told him no, to go home, sleep, recover. Since we have time, we can take care of the players and play games with this intensity."
Chelsea will already be thinking ahead to next season and how the 17-year-old can fit into their first-team plans, something Enzo Maresca will have to spent time considering in the coming months. A latest report by The Mirror has claimed the Blues are already "shaping plans" to bring the Brazilian to Cobham for a visit as they look to aid his acclimatisation process before moving to London.
Recently quizzed on the form of the youngster and if he had been left impressed by his displays, Maresca said: “He’s performing fantastically, but unfortunately he’s performing there and not here. We’ll wait until next summer when he arrives, but we’re very happy with the way he’s doing things."
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It remains to be seen whether Chelsea decide to follow a similar strategy to that of Andrey Santos, signed from Vasco da Gama last year, who was sent out on loan straight away back to Vasco before being shipped to Nottingham Forest and later Strasbourg, where he is spending the current campaign after impressing at the French club last year.