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Everything is signed between Chelsea, Palmeiras and the agents of Estevao Willian – the deal is done for the Brazilian winger born in 2007. We can consider Estevao a new Chelsea player, and it’s a generational talent joining the Blues – I can reveal that he was also wanted by others, with one club trying to hijack the move in recent days.
For Chelsea, it was too advanced, it was ‘here we go’ weeks ago, so although another club tried to enter the deal, it was too late to stop Chelsea completing this signing. Estevao will only be able to move to Europe when he turns 18, so although he’s formally a Chelsea player now, he will join the club in summer 2025. The agreement between Estevao and Chelsea is on an eight-year contract, so he’s committed to a deal running until 2033.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will pay a guaranteed fee of €34m to Palmeiras, plus €6m in easy add-ons, which is based on how many games he plays in his final season for Palmeiras, which is expected to be a lot after the departure of Endrick to Real Madrid. Then there will be a further €14m add-ons based on Chelsea appearances – this would mean he has to be a starter for multiple seasons at Chelsea. There is also a specific clause for an extra €4m based on individual achievements such as the Ballon d’Or.
Ian Maatsen is on his way to Aston Villa for £37.5m, and, as I previously reported, Chelsea can include an academy player from Villa in this deal. Now we can say that the player in question will be Omari Kellyman – this talented 18-year-old will be moving to Stamford Bridge in a separate deal, but he was discussed in the same conversation as Ian Maatsen between the two clubs.
The green light from the…
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