Chelsea and Barcelona club badges (Photos by Ben Hoskins, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Chelsea and Barcelona are reportedly exploring a potential transfer move for Santos wonderkid Joao Victor de Souza, who has been compared to Real Madrid and Brazil legend Marcelo.
The talented 18-year-old is fast earning himself a big reputation after impressing for Santos, and it seems Europe’s elite are really starting to take notice.
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According to AS, Chelsea and Barca currently seem to be showing the strongest interest in Souza, while he could also have the possibility to move to Saudi Arabia.
Souza’s playing style at left-back seems to be drawing comparisons with Marcelo, as Brazilian football fans will be hoping he can eventually prove to be the long-term solution for the country in that position.
Marcelo had a tremendous career at the highest level, winning the Champions League five times during his time at the Bernabeu, as well as numerous other major honours.
The 36-year-old also won over 50 caps for the Brazilian national team, so if Souza can have anywhere near that kind of career, he’ll have done well for himself.
Souza to be Chelsea’s next wonderkid signing?
Chelsea have done well in recent times to snap up the best young talent from across the globe, with their current owners putting a lot of emphasis on building a long-term project rather than just signing ready-made superstars.
Souza could be a good fit for this system, with AS noting that it might actually mean the Blues initially send him to one of their other associated clubs, such as Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg.
Chelsea fans themselves might have to wait a while before seeing Souza representing them, but perhaps he’ll also prove good enough to be challenging for a first-team place at Stamford Bridge sooner than expected.
Chelsea could arguably do with a new left-back anyway, as there have been some question-marks over Marc Cucurella for some time now, while Ben Chilwell is clearly out of favour after issues with fitness and form.
Barcelona would be a difficult club to turn down, though, so CFC might face strong competition for this exciting wonderkid.
