Barcelona could miss out on 'Little Lionel Messi' as Manchester United, Chelsea and other clubs lineup for Brazilian's signature: Reports
Barcelona may miss out on Brazilian wonderkid Willian Estevao, who is being strongly considered by Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United for a move. The Catalan giants do not have the financial muscle to compete with the English sides for transfers, especially given their current condition.
Palmeiras youngster Willian Estevao, popularly known as 'Messinho' or Little Messi, has caught many clubs' attention with his showings in Brazil. The teenage sensation starred alongside Endrick in the youth setup of the Brazilian champions, and has been considered by top European sides for over a year.
Estevao has a release clause of €60 million written into his contract with Palmeiras, and he has played just one senior game for the club. The 16-year-old is keen to move to Europe once he turns 18 in 2025, and his preferred destination is Barcelona, as he previously revealed to Mundo Deportivo.
Barcelona may find it difficult to spend such a huge sum on the talented teenager, leaving room for other interested parties to come in. Chelsea narrowly missed out on signing Endrick from Palmeiras, and may not want to miss out on Estevao.
Estevao is a talented winger with impressive vision and an eye for goals. He managed to contribute three goals and three assists for Brazil as they were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage of the FIFA U-17 World Cup last month.
Manchester United have recently come under new minority ownership, opening up the possibility of a change in transfer strategy. Their links to Estevao are due to this reason, and they may be willing to pay his transfer fee.
Manchester City are closing in on a deal for Argentina U-17 star Claudio Echeverri, who shone at the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. They may look to sign Estevao, who plays on the opposite side to Echeverri in attack.
Barcelona facing unfamiliar slump
Barcelona have struggled in the last month or two heading into the winter break in Spain. The reigning La Liga champions find themselves in fourth place in the league, seven points behind joint-leaders Real Madrid and Girona.
After failing to make it out of their group in each of their last two seasons in the UEFA Champions League, Xavi led his side to a blistering start this season. They won their first three group games before losing two of the final three to limp to first place in the group.
Xavi and club president Joan Laporta both hope that the winter break allows the players find their form. They will return to action on January 4th with a trip to the Canary Islands to face Las Palmas.