Crystal Palace and Chelsea are competing to capture Flamengo’s highly sought-after midfielder Matheus Franca, according to reports.
As the Blues look to improve their midfield options this summer, Mail Sport reported on Monday that a deal for the 19-year-old star was almost finalized.
The Brazilian is reportedly “keen to join the Premier League,” and many teams are on high alert due to his urgent desire to play in England.
Now according to Globo, the Eagles have also ‘made proposals’ for the Flamengo star who is valued at around £22m.
They also report he ‘wants to join’ the Premier League but may not get the chance immediately at Stamford Bridge and so could favour a move to Selhurst Park.
Should Mauricio Pochettino’s land the youngster, the Blues are expected to loan Franca out to Strasbourg – a club they bought a majority stake in last month, rather than putting him straight into the first team.
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Mail Sport reported at the start of the month that the Blues were looking to launch a £25m bid for the highly-rated talent.
Franca would have a better chance of regular football at Selhurst Park next season given the uncertainty surrounding Wilfried Zaha’s future.
While he is clearly a talented and exciting young midfielder, the 19-year-old would not be able to fill in at number nine for Chelsea, the most obvious hole in their current squad.
