Chelsea have already begun preliminary work on securing a move for Palmeiras starlet Estevao Willian.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that a verbal agreement on personal terms has already been reached ahead of a bid being sent through.
The Guardian journalist reports that the Blues ‘remain clear favourites’ for the Brazilian sensation’s signature.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are yet to have opened official talks with Frankfurt over the potential transfer of Willian Pacho this summer.
FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
READ MORE: What Sky Sports reporter is now hearing about Liverpool & Willian Pacho
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano relays afternoon update that may break Liverpool hearts
Is Estevao Willian one to watch?
For context, the 17-year-old footballer has been dubbed ‘Messinho’ (in reference to Lionel Messi) in his native Brazil.
A fee potentially in excess of £25m does seem quite steep for a teenager – even in today’s inflated market. That said, you can hardly blame Chelsea given the success some of Europe’s premier outfits have enjoyed dipping into the Brazilian top-flight.
The parallels to Real Madrid landing Endrick (17) for £52m (who also plays for Palmeiras) certainly can’t be ignored.
Whether such a bold and potentially seriously expensive move for the teenager pays off in the long run remains to be seen.
In the meantime, we’ll be paying close attention to Romano’s updates on X for further details.