It is fair to say that Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the cash on signings since Todd Boehly arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022.
They have spent over £100m on two separate players since the American's takeover, with Enzo Fernandez bought for a reported fee of £106.8m and Moises Caicedo snapped up from Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £115m.
The Blues have also invested a lot of money into signing talented young players who could either go on to make the club money in the future or develop into first-team options for Enzo Maresca to call upon.
Leslie Ogochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Angelo, Deivid Washington, Andrey Santos, and Cesare Casadei are just a few of the starlets signed by the club over the last few transfer windows.
Omari Kellyman looks set to join that list as Fabrizio Romano claims that Chelsea are trying to wrap up a £19m deal to sign the Aston Villa academy star.
The Blues also confirmed on Saturday that Brazilian youngster Estevao Willian will officially join from Palmeiras next summer, after a deal for the talented forward was agreed.
Chelsea submit bid for teenage colossus
Boehly could now land a player who has the potential to be as big as Estevao as the Premier League side have submitted a bid to sign a teenage central defender.
According to The Mirror, the Blues have made an official offer to sign Boca Juniors centre-back Aaron Anselmino during this summer's transfer window.
The report claims that they have offered more than £14m for the 19-year-old talent but the Argentine outfit are prepared to hold out for his £20m release clause.
It states that the two clubs have been in talks over a deal for the young titan and it remains to be seen whether or not Chelsea are willing to go above the £14m + bid that they have already made for him.
At the age of 19, Anselmino would be able to join up with his new team straight away but the club would like to send him out on loan to sister club Strasbourg in France to continue his development season.
The report adds, though, that Boca Juniors would like to keep hold of their centre-back until the end of the calendar year, rather than allowing him to leave immediately.
It also revealed that Manchester United and AC Milan are keen on the defender, which suggests that Chelsea will face plenty of competition to land his signature.
If the London giants can get a deal over the line for Anselmino, though, then they could land a player with the potential to be as big as Estevao, who is also a fantastic young prospect.
Why Estevao could be a future star
The 17-year-old winger, who is unable to officially link up with his new club until he turns 18 in April of next year, has showcased his terrific potential at youth and first-team level.
Despite only turning 17 a couple of months ago, he has already racked up four goals and three assists in 23 senior appearances for Palmeiras in all competitions.
He emerged as a first-team option for the Brazilian side after his return of six goals and three assists in 19 games for Palmeiras U20s at academy level.
The teenage starlet has produced two goals and two assists in seven Serie A starts in the 2024 campaign and his form at senior level comes off the back of his fantastic performances for Brazil's U17s last year.
He competed at the U17 World Cup in 2023 and caught the eye with his terrific performances at the top end of the pitch before his team were knocked out by Argentina in the quarter-finals.
Appearances
5
Sofascore rating
8.26
Goals
3
Assists
3
Big chances created
6
Key passes per game
5
Completed dribbles per game
2.6
As you can see in the table above, the potential is there for Estevao to provide consistent quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a right wing position.
The 17-year-old wizard can also excite supporters with his direct play on the ball as his 2.6 completed dribbles per game shows that he likes to consistently take on opposition defenders to make things happen in the final third.
Why Aaron Anselmino could be as big as Estevao
The 19-year-old defender has recently emerged as a first-team option for Boca Juniors and his early performances in his home country suggest that the potential is there for him to develop into a fantastic player.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailed him as a "complete" and "dominant" central defender who is comparable to Tottenham Hotspur star and World Cup winner Cristian Romero.
Dominant is an apt word to describe the teenage titan as he won 75% of his duels in two CONMEBOL Sudamericana appearances in 2024 and 71% of his battles in two outings in the Liga Profesional de Fútbol in 2023.
These statistics suggest that he has the quality to dominate opposition attackers in duels on the deck and in the air, albeit Anselmino is yet to prove it over a significant period of time.
For a 19-year-old to be so dominant in physical contests against seasoned first-team operators, however, does speak to his impressive physicality and defensive positioning for a player of his age and inexperience.
Appearances
3
Pass accuracy
85%
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.7
Ground duel success rate
75%
Aerial duel success rate
56%
As you can see in the table above, he also caught the eye in the 2023 Copa de la Liga Professional across three appearances for Boca Juniors.
Anselmino appears to be a reliable passer, with an 85% completion rate, who can also win possession back multiple times per match to go along with his dominance in duels against his opponents.
Therefore, the 19-year-old colossus could end up being as big of a talent as Estevao as they have both showcased their talent in their respective positions at first-team level at a young age in South America.
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The next step, for both of them, is to perform consistently over the course of an entire senior season and prove that they have what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.