EXCL: Chelsea verbally agree winger signing, Prem midfielder considered 'perfect' for Pep's project, Man Utd CB targets, & De Zerbi's Brighton exit

Today's exclusive column, featuring Chelsea, Man City, Man United and more...

Estevao to Chelsea verbally agreed, plus latest on Conor Gallagher’s future

A deal has been verbally agreed between Palmeiras and Chelsea for Estevao Willian. You may remember two weeks ago I reported that Chelsea had agreed personal terms with Estevao, and despite rumours about Bayern and other clubs, no other club entered the race because Chelsea were in control - they had the green light from the player on the contract, the salary, the project.

Born in 2007, the left-footed winger is considered one of the best young talents in the world - he is expected to bring some spark and joy to European football. He’s really considered a huge, huge talent, and has also played alongside Endrick at Palmeiras, who will be joining Real Madrid this summer, but who was also a target for Chelsea, you may remember.

The deal between Chelsea and Palmeiras has been agreed after Chelsea sent a new proposal - it’s now €40m guaranteed plus €25m in add-ons. Chelsea will also take care of the taxes on the deal, while the bonuses are performance-related, so Palmeiras believe these will be quite easy to achieve if Estevao performs at a good level at Chelsea. It’s not just about trophies like the Premier League and Champions League, but about how many games he will play, plus goals, assists and this kind of thing. The bonuses are agreed and Palmeiras believe they will get that money in the future, so the agreement is verbally done.