EXCL: PSG's "significant" effort to sign Chelsea wonderkid, key factors which could determine Kimmich future, & thoughts on Fofana's Marseille talks

Chelsea did well to land this elite talent ahead of PSG, but could Fofana still be one to watch for the Stamford Bridge exit door?

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PSG made significant effort to beat Chelsea to Brazilian wonderkid

There was a time when PSG were looking at Estevao Willian, who is impressing with Palmeiras ahead of a keenly anticipated move to Chelsea next year. PSG monitored the Brazilian youngster very closely, as well as other players, having of course signed both Lucas Beraldo and Gabriel Moscardo last winter.

Estevao, or ‘Messinho’ as he’s sometimes known, was another player PSG were looking at, and they made an attempt to sign him. PSG tried to do a deal with Palmeiras, but couldn’t quite come to an agreement, and for that reason they decided to focus on Beraldo and Moscardo instead.

Although Estevao is a highly regarded talent, it wasn’t really a position that PSG desperately needed to strengthen at that time, and so they focused on defence and midfield. Beraldo can play centre-back or left-back, so his versatility is useful for PSG, while Moscardo was also earning rave reviews while PSG needed an extra body in central midfield. Obviously now PSG also have Joao Neves in that position, while Moscardo has gone out on loan to Rennes for this season.

Another key reason PSG ended up dropping out of the Estevao deal was that Luis Campos, when he was in Brazil, felt they were being priced out of the move by Palmeiras. So instead he focused on getting the deals done for Beraldo and Moscardo, even though there was some pretty significant competition for those two as well. Ultimately, PSG didn’t try to go back in for Estevao once those other two deals were tied up.