Chelsea battling Barcelona to sign highly-rated £60m ‘Messinho’, says Fabrizio Romano

Chelsea hold talks with Barcelona target Estevao Willian

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are stepping up their interest in signing new Brazilian sensation Estevao Willian and have held talks with the player as the teenager remains at the top of the club’s list of acquisitions.

The 16-year-old has been nicknamed ‘Messinho’ and has a release clause of €60 million, in which no club so far has shown interest, though Barcelona remain in contact with the player’s representative.

Estevao’s moniker, Messinho, was given to him when he was young because of his playing similarities with Lionel Messi, and he was the first-ever youngest Brazilian to be sponsored by Nike, aged just 10 in 2018.

The teenager became the fourth-youngest debutant to appear for Palmeiras last December. And his performance is already attracting interest from top European clubs.

Given that when such young talents emerge, Chelsea are always the first to show interest, and the Blues are already ahead in talks for his signing as they hope to wrap up the signing before any other join them.

However, Barcelona are also in talks, and given their financial woes, activating €60 million might be tough for them, so the Blues seem to have a clear path for his recruitment.

However, the teenager is keen on joining Barcelona and following in the footsteps of his idol at the Spanish club; it remains to be seen if they will be able to trigger his clause.

Estevao is a confident player who can play like Lionel Messi, considering that he goes by the moniker “Messinho.” He stands out as a player to watch because of his deft field navigation, amazing dribbling abilities, and excellent goal vision.

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And now, the Blues have identified a brilliant young player who has the potential to emerge as one of the most appreciated players if receives proper development. Barcelona aren’t a threat to the Blues in their pursuit of the 16-year-old, but we need to move quickly to complete the signing since Estevao wants to play for the Catalans and they may try to sign him, so we need to be on our toes.