Chelsea seal £17 million deal to sign new player as eighth transfer this summer: Reports
Chelsea have reportedly agreed a deal worth £17 million for Gremio attacker Gabriel Mec. The 16-year-old plays for the Brazilian club's U20 side and is widely likened with Ronaldinho.
The Blues have been busy in the ongoing summer transfer window, sealing seven transfers, as per Transfermarkt. They are midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City, Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, Aston Villa midfielder Omari Kellyman, Basel midfielder Renato Veiga, Atlanta defender Caleb Wiley, Barcelona forward Marc Giu and defender Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer.
As per Radio Immortal (via Chelsea News), Mec is off to the Blues on a £17 million transfer. However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has said that the deal with the Gremio youngster is still in progress, tweeting:
"Chelsea and Gremio are getting closer to the full agreement for Gabriel Mec. Deal not done yet but advancing, still waiting for some crucial steps to get it sealed for 2008 born Brazilian talent to join the Chelsea project."
Last summer, the Blues had a massive overhaul, spending nearly £450 million to bring in young players galore. But the strategy didn't quite work, as the youthful side struggled for consistency all season, especially in the Premier League, where they finished sixth, short of their goal of a top-four finish.
Nevertheless, the Blues seem intent to continue their youth-centric approach, with the oldest of the aforementioned new transfers being 26 and the youngest 18.
What's next for Chelsea?
Chelsea have had a mixed pre-season under new boss Enzo Maresca. Following a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in Santa Clara, the Blues slumped to a 4-1 loss to Celtic in Indiana.
They registered their first pre-season win with a 3-0 victory over Club America in Atlanta but lost 4-2 to Manchester City in Columbus. Next up, they take on Real Madrid on Tuesday (August 6) at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte before closing their pre-season with a clash with Inter Milan at home five days later.
The Blues open their new Premier League campaign at home to Manchester City on August 18. City are seeking an unprecedented fifth straight title in the English top flight, having won six of the last seven.