Sport Recife full-back Pedro Lima is moving closer to joining Strasbourg under Chelsea’s BlueCo ownership banner.

The 17-year-old right-back is known to be excited by a pending switch to France’s Ligue 1 side, who fall under the Chelsea ownership umbrella.

Lima has already earned Under-17 honours with Brazil and is regarded as being among South America’s brightest crop of young emerging talents.

While Lima is not expected to make a move to Chelsea, the Blues’ owners will keep a close eye on his development.

Chelsea have already signed young South American stars Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington, Angelo Gabriel and Kendry Paez.

A deal for Estevao Willian is understood to have been agreed some weeks ago, with the 17-year-old from Palmeiras’ £29million move inching closer to completion.

Chelsea are continuing to assess options for a new striker signing this summer.

The Blues have retained their interest in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, that was first raised in January.

Chelsea and Villa would be expected to strike a deal for the 20-year-old Colombia striker, should the Blues press ahead.

Duran joined Villa in an £18m deal in January 2023, and scored eight goals this season.

The former Chicago Fire striker is understood to be keen on a Chelsea switch, and Villa are prepared to make sales this summer to comply with Premier League profit and sustainability rules.