Deal almost done as South American rising star joining Chelsea

Chelsea are on the verge of adding Pedro Lima to their collection of young talents.

Matteo Moretto of Relevo has today reported that there is “very little left to close” in the deal for the 17 year old, who plays for Sport Recife in Brazil.

He will join a host of other South American talents picked up under the new ownership in the last couple of years as they look to skip out the middle men like Brighton and go direct to the source.

There is interest from all over, but Chelsea are described as “the most interested” in Lima, and they are “now embarking on the final phase of his transfer.” The fact we’ve heard about this particular move so much now really makes it feel like it is going to happen.

Chelsea already have Reece James and Malo Gusto in place battling for their first choice right back spot, but this move is one very much for the long term – and let’s face it, is likely as much about potentially making money down the line by reselling Lima.

If we do end up signing up, he would seem a perfect candidate for a loan to Strasbourg – although as we saw last year, foreign loan slots are a precious commodity these days, especially when you’ve got expensive first team players like Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga on your books and needing to be farmed out.

One would also have to question Lima’s thoughts at this point – if he comes to Chelsea he knows he’s joining a long queue of players for first team minutes, whereas there are plenty of other destinations he could go with a more direct route to top tier action, even if it’s on a lesser wage or at a smaller club.