Chelsea keen on Flamengo winger Matheus Goncalves

Chelsea are ready to step-up their interest in Flamengo winger Matheus Goncalves after owner Todd Boehly approved a swoop for the youngster, according to a report from Bolavip. 

The 18-year-old Brazilian winger is highly rated in South America and he has a big future ahead of him. Goncalves is expected to develop into a top-class player in the coming years and Chelsea have been ‘observing’ his progress for a while, as per the report.

The West Londoners have shown a willingness to invest in talented young players since the change of ownership. It appears that strategy will continue as Bolavip claims that Boehly has now ‘approved’ a move for Goncalves. 

The report says Chelsea are now expected to follow-up with a formal proposal, but they may have to pay a premium as Goncalves has a release clause worth £86m and is under a long contract. 

Chelsea are unlikely to pay that much for an unproven talent. Therefore, Flamengo will have to be more reasonable with their demands for the move to go through. 

Although Goncalves is a prodigious young talent, he is largely unproven at the highest level. Signing him for £86 million would be a major gamble for Chelsea.

Chelsea need depth in the wide areas

It will be interesting to see if Chelsea are able to strike a deal to sign Goncalves this summer. They could certainly use more quality and depth in the wide areas. Players like Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling have been underwhelming this season. 

Goncalves is naturally a right-sided winger but he is versatile enough to operate on both flanks as well as in the number ten role. He will help create goalscoring opportunities with his pace and trickery in the final third. 

The report from Bolavip mentions that Goncalves dreams of playing for a big European club. So, a move to Chelsea is likely to appeal to the youngster.

However, it remains to be seen whether the English giants can agree on a reasonable fee with Flamengo.