Chelsea have been told to fork out £21 million if they wish to prise Brazilian wonderkid Matheus Franca away from Flamengo this summer, according to the Evening Standard.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder is the latest Brazilian gem to draw attention from the Premier League giants, who have become regular customers in the South American market.
Chelsea are looking to make Franca the third prodigy to switch his homeland for Europe after snapping up Andrey Santos and Angelo Gabriel.
But they must table a significant sum to convince the Brazilians into a sale.
Franca emerged on the radar of several European heavyweights this year amid reports that Newcastle United tried to lure him away from Brazil in the January transfer market.
They reportedly made a substantial sum for the youngster, but the transfer never materialised. Spanish giants Real Madrid have also sent scouts to watch the Brazilian several times.
Franca has scored just nine goals since linking up with the Flamengo senior side in January last year.
But the club is aware of his ridiculously high development ceiling, hence their reluctance to let him leave cheaply.
It is unclear whether Franca would be integrated into the Chelsea first team or be sent to the Blues’ new affiliate club RC Strasbourg for further development if they bought him.
Chelsea are on a mission to recruit some of the finest youngsters from across the globe and build a strong contingent of rising stars at Stamford Bridge.
While their strategy is pivotal in boosting the multi-club model, it could significantly affect the mood around the Cobham academy players, who cannot help but view the latest influx of foreign stars as a direct threat to their progress to the first team.
Nevertheless, Franca is a promising talent that could prove a shrewd acquisition for the Blues in the future – assuming they stump up the required fee to appease Flamengo.
