Transfer Centre

Chelsea 'told to pay £21m for Matheus Franca'

By Andrew Delaney, Reporter | 08 July 2023

With Chelsea said to be interested in Matheus Franca, Flamengo are reportedly demanding a fee of £21m for the 19-year-old midfielder.

Chelsea have reportedly been told that they must pay £21m to sign Matheus Franca from Flamengo this summer.

Franca is a Brazilian Under-20 international, but missed the recent World Cup due to injury.

The 19-year-old has been in and around the Flamengo first team for around two years now, making 20 league appearances for the club so far in 2023.

With Chelsea said to be interested, the Evening Standard claims that the Premier League club have been told they will need to pay £21m to acquire their target.

Franca would be one of many South American imports to arrive at Stamford Bridge should a deal be struck.

Chelsea have already signed Andrey Santos from Vasco de Gama and Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle, while Angelo Gabriel is set to arrive from Santos.

Brazil's Andrey Santos reacts on June 3, 2023 © Reuters

A £21m deal for Franca would be the highest fee of all those players, but none of them is expected to make an immediate impact in the first team.

Therefore, the report states that a move for Romeo Lavia could be on the cards, as the Southampton midfielder looks certain to leave after their relegation.

Chelsea have already confirmed another youth signing in the past 24 hours, with the signing of Ishe Samuels-Smith from Everton finally going through for a fee of £4m.

These deals continue the summer of upheaval at Chelsea, with Christian Pulisic expected to be the next in a long line of departures to come this summer.

After a surprising 12th-placed finish in the league, a change in management has seen Mauricio Pochettino arrive, and with it a much different looking squad to last season.

Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz have all departed to fellow Premier League clubs, while N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly have left to go to Saudi Arabia.

Long-serving captain Cesar Azpilicueta also announced his exit this week, returning to his native Spain to join Atletico Madrid, with Pulisic on the verge of joining Ruben Loftus-Cheek at AC Milan.