Estevao Willian is set to join Chelsea in the summer of 2025 (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Estevao Wililan from Palmerias with the Brazilian teenager set to join the Premier League giants in the summer of 2025.
A statement on the Blues’ official website read: ‘Chelsea Football Club has agreed a deal to sign teenage forward Estevao Willian from Palmeiras, with the Brazilian to officially join Chelsea next summer.
‘The 17-year-old has already built a strong reputation in South America as one of the most exciting talents around due to his skilful dribbling and electric pace, causing defences plenty of problems in his breakout season in senior football.
‘Estevao has featured 10 times in the Brazilian Serie A for Palmeiras, contributing two goals and two assists, as well as also finding the net in the Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil.
‘The exciting forward, who joins fellow Brazilians Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Angelo Gabriel at Stamford Bridge, has also featured for his nation at youth level.’
Estevao will remain at his boyhood club for another 12 months but the teenager described the transfer as a ‘dream come true’ with a brief statement on X.
Chelsea will have to wait another 12 months before Estevao Willian joins their first team squad (Picture: X)
Chelsea fans will have to remain patient over the course of the next year, but all the indications suggest Estevao will be more than worth the wait.
Estevao has made just 22 senior appearances for Palmeiras but is quickly making an impact in his homeland.
Branco, who was part of Brazil’s World Cup-winning squad in 1994 and is now the national team’s coordinator for the youth sides, predicts that Estevao could take the World Cup by storm in 2026.
‘It’s been a long time since we’ve had these kids there and Brazil has a spectacular generation,’ Branco told Canal WAMO.
‘Brazil for 2026 will arrive very strong, they’ll arrive with strength, speed and quality.
‘Estevao, for me, with all due respect to the others, this is something serious, something that I’ve never said and I’m going to say – since Neymar, he is the greatest player I’ve seen born in Brazil.
‘This is my opinion, you’ve seen him close, you know. This is Brazil, they’re all spectacular but this boy, his ceiling is a bit higher.’
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