Chelsea have had a breakthrough in negotiations with Gremio to sign teenager Gabriel Mec.
The club had previously looked to sign established international stars but since Todd Boehly came in, young and exciting talents have been targeted instead. Some examples include Estevao Willian, Omary Kellyman, Kendry Paez, Angelo, Andrey Santos, Gabriel Solina and Renato Veiga.
Therefore it’s no coincidence the Blues have shown a keen interest in the Brazilian midfielder. According to Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte, Chelsea have reached an agreement with Gremio for Mec.
It’s claimed the 16-year-old has been offered a five-year deal with the option for a further two years. The deal, sealed on Sunday, could reach £21million (€24m).
Mec’s agent, Neymar’s father Neymar Senior, had travelled to Porto Alegre to hold talks with Gremio, after an opening £13m proposal had refused by Gremio. With that said, Mec will only be allowed to complete the move to London upon turning 18 in April 2026.
The same will happen with Willian, as he will only complete a move to west London from Palmeiras, next summer.
On Sunday, Mec shared a picture of a church on his Instagram stories and wrote: “All the honour and glory given to you, my God.”
Meanwhile, his father Robson de Carvalho shared a picture of them both. “God’s plans are bigger than ours. God is good all the time,” he wrote.
Mec has been compared to Neymar and even been tipped to become Neymar 2.0. On X, formerly Twitter, analyst Ben Mattinson wrote: “Gabriel Mec is making waves in Brazil. A 2-footed, skilful Brazilian attacker. Neymar-esque play-style and comes from the same academy (Grêmio) as Ronaldinho.
“Hard to not be excited by him. Mec has rapid feet able to do skills so quickly that he can fool defenders easily. A joy to watch, he’s a real throwback Brazilian.”
The youngster is currently playing for Gremio’s under-20s team, having made six appearances so far in their Brasileirao campaign.
