Sources: Club braced for Chelsea and others to pursue potential €100m transfer

Chelsea are understood to be accelerating efforts to win the race for one of the most in-demand teenagers in world football.

That player is Palmeiras wonderkid Eduardo Conceicao, who has drawn comparisons with legendary Brazilian Neymar due to his playing style, while there will also inevitably be comparisons to Real Madrid’s Endrick and Chelsea’s Estevao Willian, both of whom also started as teenagers at Palmeiras.

This story was first published via the Daily Briefing – click here to subscribe for more exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox!

My understanding is that Chelsea have had a series of contacts with Palmeiras over Conceicao as they’re keen to position themselves as favourites to sign him once he turns 18.

The City Group have also previously had contacts, but there is now some uncertainty around Manchester City transfers due to the ongoing charges case against them.

Most sources in the industry expect that to come down, with Chelsea’s previous investment totalling around £51m for Estevao seen as a useful benchmark.

However, many scouts at Europe’s top clubs have also been closely monitoring Conceicao, and there’s a consensus forming that he may be an even bigger prospect.

The 16-year-old forward has been watched by the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and PSG, and this could lead to a major bidding war for his signature.

For now, it’s only Chelsea and City who have made contact to be kept informed of his situation, but that list could grow. That suits Palmeiras as it could get them closer to their high asking price.

Chelsea will have to hope their good relationship with Palmeiras can help them as it did with Estevao, but there’s also another important factor to consider.

The likes of Arsenal, United, and Barcelona might not be as keen to pay up now for a player they can’t realistically include in their squad until January 2028.

Chelsea, however, have shown their willingness to invest a lot in advance in young talents like this with the hope that it will pay off later.

While this strategy hasn’t always worked perfectly, it does give them a bit of an edge in these transfer battles.