Chelsea and Arsenal are trying to join the race to sign Palmeiras teenagers Estevao and Luis Guilherme, according to a report from 90min.
Real Madrid are keeping tabs on Estevao – who is yet to make his first-team debut for Palmeiras. 90min claims that Los Blancos are favourites to sign the teenager at this stage because of their positive relationship with Brazilian clubs.
However, they are not alone in the race to sign him. The likes of Chelsea and Arsenal are also in the mix to sign him while Manchester City are also showing an interest, as per the report.
Barcelona, Inter and Juventus have also watched Estevao represent Brazil at the Under-17 level.
90min further says that a host of Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Brighton are looking to sign Estevao’s teammate Guilherme – who is already part of Abel’s first-team squad at Palmeiras.
A host of European clubs including Bayern Munich, Benfica, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Lyon and Monaco have been keeping their eyes open to sign the Brazilian youngster.
Change in system
Previously, English clubs would have struggled to sign Brazilian youngsters. However, a change in work permit regulation has now opened the door for Premier League clubs to sign players directly from the Brazilian market.
Rather than relying on Europe and buying players at a high price, they can now directly contact the Brazilian club and sign players from them.
Chelsea have signed quite a lot of Brazilian players over the years, while Arsenal have a few Brazilian stars on their books as well. The same can be said about Manchester United and Tottenham.
However, Madrid do have an advantage. They have used the South American market to great effect and signed players like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Endrick.
While the immediate focus for both Chelsea and Arsenal lies in adding depth to their squad, like all big clubs they are always open to signing exciting young talents.
