Brazilian sports reporter Paco Belmonte has claimed that Chelsea have completed a deal to sign Gabriel Menino from Palmeiras.
Menino is considered a potential starter in midfield for the Brazilian national team in the future. The 20-year-old has drawn comparisons to Manchester City legend Yaya Toure as a result of the haste in which he gets from one end of the field to the other.
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He’s more N’Golo Kante than he is Jorginho or Mateo Kovacic, which is exactly what Chelsea need in the middle of the park, with Thomas Tuchel’s options being strong in their own right but difficult to piece together as a collective.
It’s not exactly clear whether Menino would be drafted straight into the Chelsea first-team squad, or would go out on loan in order to continue his development, but Paco Belmonte believes that the deal has been done.
INFORMAÇÃO: Gabriel Menino é jogador do Chelsea.
Triste, mas é verídico. pic.twitter.com/PHQcT833VZ
— Paco Belmonte ? (@PacoBelmonte_) April 4, 2021
Of course, we will await more reputable sources to authenticate this story before considering it to be the truth, but this kind of news can oftentimes trickle out locally before making its way across the sea.
Menino may well be playing his football at Chelsea beyond the end of the season.