Chelsea officially reignite transfer talks for €25m wonderkid

Tom Weber

• Updated: 5 Mar 2025 09:45 CST
• 4 min read

News

Chelsea have formally revived their transfer talks with Gremio over Gabriel Mec, a second source has confirmed.

Many Chelsea supporters will have forgotten all about Gremio teenager Gabriel Mec after the Blues failed to secure his signature last year, but the club certainly did not forget.

In summer 2024, news broke in Brazil that Chelsea had opened talks with Gremio over the 16-year-old attacking midfielder. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano later confirmed that talks were taking place and a quick resolution was expected.

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Initial reports had claimed that the negotiations over Mec likely wouldn't take longer than a week, but as the summer progressed, updates on the situation became increasingly scarce.

In the end, Chelsea and Gremio could not reach an agreement for Mec's transfer. However, earlier this week, it was claimed that Chelsea had once again opened talks with the Brazilian club and these reports have now been corroborated.

Chelsea reignite Mec talks

Journalist Ben Jacobs has confirmed that Chelsea have revived the negotiations over the teenage prodigy, who has been compared to none other than Neymar.

Brazil has been a happy hunting ground for the Blues and they feel that they have unearthed another spectacular talent in the precocious Gremio attacker.

However, Jacobs' report suggests that talks could once again prove tricky. He states that Gremio are demanding a sizeable fee in excess of €24 million as well as a 'significant' sell-on percentage.

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What does work in Chelsea's favour is that Gremio are keen to strike a deal this year even though Mec is described as being 'in no rush' to make a final decision on his future. Of course, the youngster would only be able to move to Stamford Bridge after he turns 18 in April 2026.

It is not guaranteed that Chelsea will land the signing of Mec as other European clubs are also in the race, while there are concerns over his steep price considering that he has only played 35 minutes of senior football in his career.