Brazilian teenage full-back Pedro Lima will soon join Strasbourg with a view to a future move to Chelsea, according to reports.
The Blues have embarked on a scouting mission to sign the best talent South America has to offer and have identified Lima as a prime target, with a deal around €7m (£6m) being mooted.
Real Madrid are also said to be interested in the Sport Recife right-back and are hopeful of swooping if Chelsea’s deal falls through, but Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Premier League side are now on the verge of sealing the transfer.
A fee is close to being agreed despite Los Blancos’ late interest and only the final details need to be sorted. However, he will not relocate to Stamford Bridge immediately.
Instead, Lima is set to join their sister club Strasbourg in France, following the path laid by fellow Brazilians Angelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos by spending a year on loan with the Ligue 1 side.
Chelsea signed Santos from Vasco de Gama in January 2023 before picking up Gabriel and Deivid Washington last summer. Kendy Paez will also complete his move to west London next year and be joined by Palmeiras winger Estevao, who will arrive for €65m.
Ownership group BlueCo is not popular among Strasbourg supporters. Back in March, a fan group claimed the club is now “nothing more than a financial asset”, insisting “Multi-club is killing football”.
The transfer strategy under Todd Boehly has attracted criticism from the club’s fans and pundits further afield, with Chelsea eventually finishing the Premier League season in sixth after a mixed campaign under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine has since left and been replaced by former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca.
A first deal of the summer transfer window has already been confirmed with Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo arriving on a free transfer.
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