The transfer window is in full flow and once again Chelsea are at the heart of plenty of business. Already they have seen the departures of Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz and announced the addition of six players to west London.
The Blues are still looking to recruit big-money signings this summer to replenish their stocks with Moises Caicedo being their most prominent target for the moment. However, since the club's takeover last summer, they have been unafraid to invest in young talent too.
Omari Hutchinson, Cesare Casadei, Zak Sturge, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina were all acquired in the summer of 2022 before Andrey Santos and Malo Gusto were signed in January. Dujuan Richards has arrived this summer, while talks have taken place for Angelo Gabriel.
It appears that the Blues could be looking to Brazil again for the signature of Flamengo's Matheus Franca. With reports of a deal to be done, football.london takes a look at the 19-year-old.
Who is Matheus Franca?
The teenager is among the latest exciting talents to emerge from Flamengo with the Brazilian club having already produced the likes of Vinicius Junior and Lucas Pacqueta in recent years. The attacking midfielder has already featured 53 times for Flamengo's senior side and scored nine goals.
Franca has featured across a number of attacking positions, albeit usually in support of a striker. The youngster has been part of a squad that has seen success in the Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil.
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The young star made his breakthrough after an impressive 2021 season with Flamengo's youth team. He scored 19 times in 18 apperances across the under-17 and under-20 sides. He was not released to participate in the under-20 World Cup with Brazil.
Flamengo U20s coach, Fabio Matias, told GloboEsporte in 2022: “He has many important aspects to his game. In addition to technical and tactical ability, he has a very good understanding of the game.
"That makes him stand out because he interprets spaces well. The most talented players have an understanding of space and how to manage that. He also has the ability to be decisive in front of goal and is a great finisher."
How much will he cost?
Flamengo vice president Marco Braz said in January: "We do not put Matheus Franca up for sale. He is not for sale. We are not interested negotiating for Matheus Franca at this moment."
That came amid interest from Newcastle who were said to have had a £13.5million bid rejected. However, Franca's latest contract provided him with the largest release clause in Flamengo history at £83million, when he signed a five-year contract in 2022.
The Blues are said to have worked with Guiliano Bertolucci of Bertolucci sports, the agency to represent Andrey Santos and Angelo Gabriel, to communicate with Flamengo. Negotiations are said to have been underway for days, with the Brazilian club hoping for £21.4million.
Who is interested?
Real Madrid were one of the earlier teams to be reportedly interested in the Flamengo youngster, with scouts having monitored his process. The likes of Newcastle, West Ham and Crystal Palace have all been linked in the Premier League with a bid from the Magpies said to have been turned down. Lyon and Manchester City have also been said to hold an interest.
