Chelsea are set to increase their interest in Flamengo winger Matheus Gonçalves after owner Todd Boehly approved a raid for the youngster, according to a report from Bolavip.
The 18-year-old Brazilian winger is highly valued in South America and has a great future ahead of him. Goncalves is expected to become a top player in the coming years and Chelsea have been 'observing' its progress for a while, according to the report.
The West Londoners have shown a willingness to invest in talented young players since the change of ownership. It seems that the strategy will continue as Bolavip claims that Boehly has now “approved” a move for Gonçalves.
The report says that Chelsea are now expected to follow up with a formal proposal, but they may have to pay a premium as Goncalves has a release clause worth £86m and is on a long-term contract.
Chelsea are unlikely to pay that much for an unproven talent. Therefore, Flamengo will have to be more reasonable with its demands for the measure to be carried out.
Although Gonçalves is a prodigious young talent, he is largely unproven at the highest level. Signing him for £86 million would be a big gamble for Chelsea.
Chelsea needs depth on the wings
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea can reach a deal to sign Gonçalves this summer. They could certainly use more quality and depth in wide areas. Players like Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling have been disappointing this season.
Gonçalves is naturally a right winger, but is versatile enough to operate on both flanks, as well as in the number ten role. He will help create scoring opportunities with his pace and guile in the final third.
The report of Bolavip He mentions that Gonçalves dreams of playing for a big European club. Therefore, a move to Chelsea is likely to appeal to the youngster.
However, it remains to be seen whether the English giants will be able to reach an agreement on a reasonable fee with Flamengo.
