Chelsea are hopeful that their next wonderkid signing, Estevao Willian, will reach the levels of Real Madrid and Brazil pair Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

The Blues have been tracking the Palmeiras winger for some time after he emerged as one of Brazil's hottest talents. The likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich have all reportedly made enquiries for his services in the past but a move to Stamford Bridge is edging closer.

Earlier this week, reports indicated that Chelsea were 'confident' of signing Estevao when he turns 18 next April. An initial fee of around £26m plus a further £21m in performance-based add-ons is said to be enough for the west Londoners to get the deal over the line.

Estevao looks incredibly likely to be the first signing completed this summer, despite not officially becoming a Chelsea player until next year. However, the move for the 17-year-old continues their wealthy investment in young talent with a strong eye on the years to come.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the hope is that the teenager will become a generational talent and follow in the footsteps of young Brazilians who have moved to Europe. Vinicius Junior - who has been tipped to win a Ballon d'Or - has scored 80 goals and assisted 76 since joining Real Madrid from Flamengo while Rodrygo has managed 95 goal contributions in 212 games.

Both players are, respectively, two of the best wide attackers in European football at 23 and are worth €200m each by CIES Football Observatory (£343m combined). Chelsea are understood to want to follow in the footsteps of the Spanish giants of benefitting from raw talent at a young age.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: ”Chelsea are advancing well in talks with Palmeiras over a deal for Estêvão Willian. There is already an agreement between the club and Estevao, personal terms and the project, Estevao has said yes to Chelsea.

”Now the conversation with Palmeiras is going well. €32m + €25m in add-ons, Palmeiras are asking for a little bit more in guaranteed fees but the conversation is ongoing.

”Chelsea want to be fast, they want to close the deal as soon as possible and the scouts, the people working on the deal at Stamford Bridge believe he can be a generational talent, something like Rodrygo or Vinicius Jr at Real Madrid, that kind of level.

“They want Estevao, Kendry Paez, these types of players because they believe they can be part of their bright, bright future so they really want to close this Estevao deal as soon as possible because they believe he’s one of the best talents in the world, not just in South America.”