Chelsea have Lamine Yamal to thank for £47m transfer that could worry Cole Palmer

Chelsea reportedly have Lamine Yamal’s breakthrough at Barcelona to thank for helping them seal a £47million deal for Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian. The forward will arrive at Stamford Bridge next summer after sealing a high-profile switch from Palmeiras.

Key figures at Chelsea believe they have signed a genuinely elite talent. The Premier League side fought off strong competition from Europe’s biggest clubs to persuade the 17-year-old to move to London.

One of those was La Liga giants Barcelona. It is claimed that Los Blaugrana monitored Estevao’s progress through Palmeiras’s academy. The Spanish were interested in completing a deal for the player.

However, speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Barca’s interest cooled when teenager Yamal emerged from their academy. The winger burst onto the scene aged just 16 at the start of last season.

Now 17, Yamal is already a key player for Barca and shone for Spain during their triumphant Euro 2024 campaign. It is reported that the Las Masia graduate’s exceptional performances for club and country persuaded Barca not to sign Estevao.

Estevao is of a similar profile to Yamal – an exciting, left-footed attacker who can play out wide or as a No. 10. Chelsea reportedly view Estevao’s long-term future in a more central role – in a potentially worrying update for Cole Palmer.

Enzo Maresca has favoured Palmer in the attacking midfield position, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 for most of their games under the Italian. England international Palmer will face increased competition from the highly-rated Estevao next season.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea do not plan to loan out the senior Brazil international, instead believing that he has a part to play from the beginning of next term. Estevao could therefore be used as a No. 10.

Palmer has enjoyed a positive start to the season, providing six direct goal contributions in his five Premier League appearances. But he will need to keep up that form as Estevao has been breaking goals and assists records in Brazil.

He equalled Neymar’s record of scoring nine Brazilian top-flight goals and providing seven assists before turning 18. Across all competitions, Estevao has struck 15 goals and registered 10 assists this season.

Palmeiras have been careful with his development. Head coach Abel Ferreira said last week: “When he arrived [from international duty], he didn’t sleep at all and wanted to train. But we told him no, to go home, sleep, recover. Since we have time, we can take care of the players and play games with this intensity.”