Chelsea hope to follow the £4.5m signing of Atlético Paranaense’s Nathan de Souza with that of his fellow Brazil Under-20 international Robert Kenedy for a similar fee as they seek to add to the club’s youth ranks this summer.
Kenedy, whose progress has been tracked by clubs such as Internazionale and Manchester United, has made his mark as a striker with Fluminense and finished as Brazil’s top scorer at the South America Under-17 championships two years ago with six goals.
Now 19, he has already made public his desire to follow his compatriots Oscar and Ramires by moving to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea’s interest now registered with his club.
Neither Nathan nor Kenedy would qualify for work permits to play in the Premier League at present, meaning both would have to be loaned out by Chelsea to European clubs to further their development.
The champions, who have had up to 30 players out on loan in each of the past few seasons, have enjoyed an arrangement with Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands but may now strike a similar deal with the Belgian club Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz, where non-European Union youngsters can gain first-team experience.
