A new era is officially underway at Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino has begun his seemingly insurmountable mission to try and get the Blues back to their best.
As well as new management, the Chelsea squad has also undergone an extraordinary level of change, particularly in midfield.
The departures of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount have all been completed, whilst it has also been confirmed that former loanee Denis Zakaria will not be retained by the club.
Meanwhile, the deal for the coveted Moises Caicedo is shaping up to be an extremely complicated deal as Brighton is poised to demand over £100m for the Ecuadorian's services.
Nevertheless, as this new Chelsea ownership has demonstrated on numerous occasions, they will not be bogged down by one target and have set their sights on multiple other players.
One youngster who has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is Matheus Franca.
What’s the latest on Matheus Franca to Chelsea?
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have scheduled a new round of talks for the 19-year-old as Flamengo are demanding at least €25m (£21m).
The reputable journalist had [previously expanded on the matter in a YouTube video and said: “We can confirm that Chelsea have an interest in Matheus Franca, one of the best talents in Brazil, born in 2004. Newcastle had a bid rejected for €15m (£13m) plus add-ons, it was in January. Bayer Leverkusen and also many other clubs have always been following him, but now Chelsea are entering the race.
"Chelsea will have a direct contact club to club this week, so Chelsea will speak to Flamengo in the next days and they will try to reach an agreement. Flamengo want around €25m (£21m), Chelsea will offer something around €20m (£17m). The add-ons structure could be important and so keep an eye on Matheus Franca who is keen on the move to Chelsea."
Who is Matheus Franca?
The teen has emerged as one of Brazil’s most exciting and promising players. The buzzing prodigy has scored nine goals in 53 appearances for his current club and has represented his homeland at U16, U17, and U20 levels.
He particularly excelled for the Flamengo youth ranks in 2021, recording 29 goal involvements in 30 outings.
Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has eulogised over his limitless potential, describing Franca as someone who can “play almost everywhere” and one of the most “exciting teenagers in Brazil.”
If a move to the West London outfit materialises, Franca could link up with his compatriot Andrey Santos, who has begun pre-season training with Pochettino, who will assess if he’s ready for regular first-team action.
The midfielder emphatically rose to worldwide prominence when he played a starring role for Brazil, as he captained the U20s to an undefeated South American Championship, having netted a joint-tournament high of six goals in the process.
South American Football expert Tim Vickery has labelled the titan as a “strong, box-to-box midfielder” and there must be a future vision to have him sitting behind the wondrously nimble attacking threat of Franca.
