Chelsea could be set to continue their eye-watering spending by returning to Brazil for one of the nation’s most exciting talents, according to reports. The Blues announced the capture of Andrey Santos in January, but it appears they already eyeing up one of his international team-mates, Vitor Roque.
Visiting scouts at the Under-20 South American Championship in Colombia have been monitoring the Brazil team closely and, with Chelsea keeping a close eye on Santos’ performances, Roque has reportedly sparkled in front of their recruitment staff.
Santos has caught the eye with five goals in as many appearances during the month-long event, with Blues fans excited about the 18-year-old’s potential. But Roque has been the star for Brazil in the absence of wonderkid Endrick, scoring six times in the SAM U20 tournament.
Spanish newspaper AS, via Sport Witness, report that ‘several’ big teams are chasing the teenager, with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain both linked with a move for the highly-rated forward in January. However, those clubs have been put off by the huge release clause written into his contract.
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Roque is rated as one of the most exciting talents in South America, bagging 14 goals this season in 57 appearances despite his youthful age. He signed for Athletico Paranaense from Cruzeiro in 2021 for £3.8m (R$24m) – a club-record fee – and that investment could prove to be a huge money spinner for the Brazilian outfit after inserting a release clause into Roque’s contract worth £52.5million.
It is understood that the player would prefer to join Barcelona over Chelsea, with his agent set to fly to Catalonia to discuss a move. But considering the La Liga giants’ financial issues this season, it seems unlikely they would commit such an amount to sign Roque.
Chelsea were keen on bringing Endrick to the Premier League before the 16-year-old youngster opted to join Real Madrid in December, and sealing the signing of Roque may be viewed as the next best option for the club as they try to assemble a squad of talented stars for the future.
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As established by their enormous £600m spend since Todd Boehly took control of the club, Chelsea have been willing to spend exorbitant amounts to make that happen.
They broke their transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £107m and snatched Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88m.
Due to FIFA rules, players from non-EU countries cannot be signed to professional countries before their 18th birthday and Roque is currently 17.
However, the youngster turns 18 on February 28, opening the door for a summer move to the west London club.
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