Chelsea scout ANOTHER South American wonderkid

Cameron Smith

• 6 Oct 2024 17:00 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are reportedly eyeing a move for Santos right-back JP Chermont as the youth revolution at Stamford Bridge continues.

The Blues have spent over €950 million on players aged 23 or under since the arrival of Clearlake Capital in 2022 and they are looking to sign Chermont after missing out on Pedro Lima this summer.

Lima was on the verge of joining Chelsea from Sport Recife, but Wolverhampton Wanderers hijacked the move and completed a deal for the young Brazilian for €10m in July.

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Following their failure to land Lima, Chelsea are now hoping to sign Chermont in 2025, according to CaughtOffside.

However, Enzo Maresca’s side aren’t the only club interested in purchasing the Santos defender.

Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Everton and Wolves are also monitoring Chermont’s progress in Brazil, although he could cost a small fortune due to a €70m release clause in his current contract at Santos.

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The 18-year-old has two goals and three assists in 24 league games so far this season, while he has already racked up 29 senior appearances for Santos, despite his tender age.

Multiple Premier League scouts have been spotted watching Chermont in recent weeks, as per CaughtOffside, with Chelsea and Arsenal both reportedly ready to increase their pursuit of his services.

Chelsea to sign JP Chermont?

Chelsea already have Reece James and Malo Gusto as senior right-back options available to Maresca, but the former has been perennially injured in recent years, with Axel Disasi playing at right-back on a number of occasions this season.

Josh Acheampong is an extremely highly-rated right-back from Chelsea’s academy, but he hasn’t been given too many opportunities to impress and Chelsea are eyeing Chermont as they look to add yet another defender to their ranks.

Chermont’s current deal at Santos runs until the end of December 2027, while his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at just €0.5m.