Chelsea supporters must be used to being linked with some of the world’s very best young players from around the globe.
If there’s a hot teenage prospect making a name for themselves in the sport, Chelsea may not be far behind given their recent track record to try seek out future potential superstars.
Interestingly, the Blues have just been linked with another rising star, one whose release clause is over £100 million.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad already contains a couple of £100m players, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, so the owners at Stamford Bridge are no strangers to spending big.
Could Chelsea soon make yet another expensive move?
Benfica star Joao Neves, who’s aged just 19, is rumoured to be on Chelsea’s radar.
Apparently, there’s several European giants looking at the Portuguese teenage sensation.
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O Jogo has claimed that Benfica’s Neves is now attracting interest from numerous big clubs.
It is explained that Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Bayer Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have been looking at the 19-year-old midfielder.
The report adds that the youngster’s currently got a release clause in his deal with Portuguese giants Benfica worth around €120 million (£103m). But his club do plan to agree a new deal with their ball-playing defensive midfielder, which would take the buyout clause up to roughly €150 million (£129m).
Chelsea shouldn’t break the bank on another midfielder
Despite his huge impact in Benfica’s first team this season, playing 45 games already, Neves isn’t the marquee signing Chelsea needs in 2024.
Neves’s former trainer, Luis Castro, previously described the youngster as “very intelligent” (O Jogo, as cited by Sports Witness).
If the Blues spend big in any position this summer, we’d like it to be in the striker position.
Meanwhile, let’s hope the Caicedo-Fernandez pivot in midfield only keeps getting better over more time together. Speaking via DAZN in February, Gary Cahill insisted Caicedo and Fernandez will only keep improving.
