Chelsea Deem Brazilian Star ‘Super Special,’ Justifying Splurge to Outbid PSG, Top Clubs

Last Friday, news broke that Chelsea set a new transfer record by signing Estevão Willian from Palmeiras. The Blues outbid several other clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, to secure the 17-year-old talent. They likely knew they had to offer a guaranteed fee of €65 million, excluding any add-ons, to come out on top.

A promising young talent from South America has caught the eye of several clubs. The teenager has played in 21 matches this season, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.

With the teenager heading to Stamford Bridge, transfer window specialist Fabrizio Romano provided details behind the scenes as to why Chelsea decided to make an aggressive move to ensure they landed the player.

“The bonuses are agreed and Palmeiras believe they will get that money in the future, so the agreement is verbally done,” Romano wrote in his recent column for CaughtOffside. “We’re just waiting for it to be signed now, so it’s not quite a ‘here we go’ yet – the president of Palmeiras is expected to sign it all off soon, as at the moment it’s just an agreement with the board of Palmeiras. Still, it’s almost done after Chelsea’s mission in Brazil to watch this boy, and now they’re ready to close the deal. 

“The plan now is for the player to move to Chelsea in 2025, and, from what I’m hearing, he’s not going to be going on loan to any other club – he will be considered immediately for the first-team. Chelsea believe he is super special and ready to make an impact.”

According to Diario AS, Willian’s transfer fee is expected to surpass that of former PSG star Neymar Jr. FC Barcelona paid €64 million to sign Neymar from Santos. In comparison, Chelsea has reportedly offered €65 million, which is the asking price set by Palmeiras for Brazil’s newest rising star.