Chelsea are preparing their second offer for Gremio’s teenage wonderkid Gabriel Mec according to reports in Brazil.
The Blues have heavily targeted the South American market following the takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022.
They have secured the signings of two of the biggest South American talents in Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez, whilst Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel and Deivid Washington have all made the move to west London, with Argentine Aaron Anselmino very close to completing his move.
Chelsea preparing €20m Mec offer
Whilst the Blues need to improve the first team it hasn’t stopped their aggressive pursuit of signing the best young talent from around the world, and it appears they are closing in on their next target.
Brazilian radio station Radio Bandeirantes have reported Chelsea are preparing an offer for Mec worth €20m, which would see the Blues pay €7m upfront with €13m in add ons.
The report adds there’s a possibility the deal for the 16-year-old attacking midfielder could see Gremio retain 15% of the rights for Mec.
The teenager, who has yet to play for the Gremio first team has made six appearances and scored one goal in the Brazilian under-20 Championship.
If a move for Mec does materialise, as has been the case with Paez and Estevao he wouldn’t be able to link up with the Blues until he turns 18.
It does seem a lot of money to spend on a 16-year-old given there’s no guarantee over how he’s going to develop, and he would most likely end up spending a year or two on loan in Chelsea’s multi club model before he gets anywhere near the first team.
Whilst most fans would rather the ownership focussed on the improving the first team, which has under achieved over the past two seasons, it seems the club’s pursuit of signing the best young talent isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
