Chelsea exploring transfer deal for defender likened to Real Madrid legend

Chelsea are battling it retired with Barcelona to motion Santos wonderkid Souza, who is being dubbed ‘the caller Marcelo’.

Souza, 18, rapidly stood retired having joined Santos’ academy ranks astatine the property of conscionable 9 and has since established himself arsenic 1 of the astir breathtaking young talents successful Brazilian football.

In February, Souza was called up to Santos’ elder broadside for the archetypal clip and the left-back made his debut for his boyhood squad arsenic a second-substitute against Mirassol.

Souza has gone connected to nail down his spot arsenic a regular successful Santos’ starting XI and his outstanding performances person not gone unnoticed among immoderate of Europe’s elite clubs.

According to Spanish work AS, Barcelona and Chelsea person been alerted to Souza’s bonzer endowment and some sides are ‘exploring the possibility’ of luring the youngster distant from Santos.

The study claims Souza has besides received an informal connection from a squad successful the Saudi Pro League.

However, Santos are successful nary hurry to currency successful connected Souza and discussions are successful spot to unafraid the teen connected a caller semipermanent contract, with his existent woody owed to expire adjacent summer.

Souza played a cardinal relation successful Brazil’s squad that won the South American Under-17 Championship past twelvemonth and the elder set-up are believed to beryllium keeping a adjacent oculus connected his development.

Since Marcelo’s status from planetary work backmost successful 2018, Brazil person struggled to settee connected a replacement for the Real Madrid fable connected the near broadside of defence.

The likes of Renan Lodi, Alex Telles, Ayrton Lucas and Abner Vinicius person each been handed opportunities with varying degrees of occurrence and calls are intensifying for Souza to beryllium fixed an opportunity.

Chelsea person made a superior effort to people the South American marketplace nether Todd Boehly and secured the services of 2 of the continent’s brightest young talents successful Estevao and Kendry successful the summertime transportation window.

The Blues person identified Souza arsenic a imaginable replacement for Ben Chilwell, whose aboriginal successful westbound London remains uncertain nether caller caput manager Enzo Maresca.

Marc Cucurella has secured his spot arsenic Maresca’s first-choice left-back and wide reports bespeak that Chilwell keen to unafraid an flight way retired of Stamford Bridge aft 1 solitary quality successful the Carabao Cup this season.

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