Chelsea 'plot £47m swoop for Brazilian wonderkid, 17, dubbed "Messinho"'

Chelsea are reportedly planning a £47million bid for a Brazilian wonderkid.

Estevao Willian, 17, has gained the nickname 'Messinho' for his performances on the wing after coming through the academy of Palmeiras.

The Blues are set to bid £25.5m with possible add-ons reaching £21m for the youngster, having already had two advances snubbed.

It's a similar situation to Real Madrid paying £52m for Endrick because Willian comes from the same club and is just 12 games deep into his professional career.

Chelsea are 'strongly' in the race for him but face competition from a litany of top admirers, according to Brazilian outlet UOL.

'Messinho', or 'Little Messi', is his nickname because some even compared him to Lionel Messi.

He already has 547,000 Instagram followers, testament to his burgeoning popularity in his homeland, and posts solely about football.

Aged just 10, he became the youngest-ever Brazilian player to secure a deal with Nike, even ahead of Neymar and Rodrygo.

He has managed two goals and an assist during his 12 games. It has been a quick progression for Willian, who made his debut last year and has a contract lasting until 2026.

At least he comes with title-winning experience, having lifted the Brazilian league trophy this year and the Sao Paulo state championship last year.

He also scored three and assisted three at the U17s World Cup last year, where Brazil reached the quarter-finals.

The comparisons with Endrick, who will join Madrid in the summer after agreeing a deal in December 2022 when he was just 16, are unavoidable. Endrick scored Brazil's only goal against England at Wembley in March.

UOL reports that Palmeiras could wait for a bidding war to spark, suggesting that even £47m might not be enough for his services.

Due to employment laws he would only be able to move next summer when he is 18.

Todd Boehly's spending at Chelsea has surpassed £1billion and he has almost exclusively opted for young, practically unproven talent.

Thiago Silva's tearful announcement that he will leave the club at the end of the season leave the club in a rare position - having no players over the age of 30 going into the new campaign as it stands.

They could also lose Conor Gallagher in the summer, another leadership figure.

Boehly has already brought in several Brazilian youngsters in Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington, and Angelo, but none have become regulars.

Could Willian be the latest, and would he win over fans in the way the former Stamford Bridge favourite of the same name did?

Joao Paulo Sampaio, head of Palmeiras' youth set-up, rates him highly. One thing these kinds of players have is a strong personality, a big ego to say: ‘I am, I can and I will’. And they do it. For these out-of-this-world talents, things come easy. It’s difficult for your average player, who make up the vast majority,' he told FIFA.

'He prefers Estevao," said Sampaio on his name. 'The Messinho thing was put on hold, but his game is very similar to that of the Argentine."