Boehly vs Ratcliffe: Chelsea launch bid for ANOTHER Brazilian wonderkid

Updated: 3 Jul 2024 19:58 BST
4 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Man Utd, Todd Boehly, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Chelsea are rivalling Nice for Brazilian wonderkid Wesley Gassova, according to French media.

Another day, another Brazilian starlet is wanted by Europe's big clubs. The latest South American gem to appear on the radar of clubs on the other side of the Atlantic is Wesley Gassova.

Article continues under the video

Primarily a left-winger, the right-footer plies his trade at Corinthians and has been impressing for some time despite his club currently being in the doldrums, already boasting 72 senior appearances despite being just 19 years of age and making the preliminary list of Brazil's Copa America squad.

While a return of seven goals and five assists in those 72 outings is nothing to write home about, the youngster evidently has bags of talent and potential. Indeed, Footmercato reports that both BlueCo and INEOS are currently chasing Wesley, while West Ham and a host of other sides are also hot on his trail.

Wesley wants Ligue 1 move

The French outlet claims that both Chelsea and West Ham have made an offer for the Brazilian, who is a prolific dribbler and whose stride is reminiscent of that of Kylian Mbappe. Napoli and Porto are also said to be keen.

Additionally, it is asserted that Nice have been tracking him for some time, with the player originally discovered by former sporting director Florent Ghisolfi, now at Roma. Despite his departure, the INEOS-backed side have remained in touch with the winger and could yet make a concrete move.

Intriguingly, the outlet claims that Wesley and his entourage would favour a move to Ligue 1 before eventually making the step up to the Premier League. This ostensibly gives Nice an advantage, but of course, BlueCo also own Strasbourg in addition to Chelsea.

Last season, Brazilian starlets Andrey Santos and Angelo Gabriel were farmed out to Alsace and Chelsea could do the same again should they manage to land Wesley. However, Strasbourg have just signed 18-year-old Colombian Oscar Perea, who is also a left-winger.

It is doubtful whether it would be advisable to have two highly-rated teenagers competing for the same position and potentially stunting each other's development.