Chelsea held two rounds of talks over the transfer of Brazilian talent Matheus Franca but decided his asking price was too high, according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
Franca is now heading to Crystal Palace instead, with Chelsea not keen on paying €25-30m for him, according to Romano, who also revealed an interest from Newcastle United back in January.
The Magpies tried two bids for Franca but never followed those up with further offers, so now the highly-rated 19-year-old attacking midfielder will be heading to Selhurst Park instead.
“Matheus Franca will undergo medical tests this week, as he’s going to become a new Crystal Palace player,” Romano said.
“Chelsea held two rounds of talks with Flamengo but never sent any official bids as the €25-30m value was considered too high.
“Newcastle also tried for Franca back in January – they made two bids, but then no more proposals. Crystal Palace did excellent work on this one and look to have signed a real gem.”
This looks an exciting move for Palace, who have clearly signed a player with a big future who’s been highly regarded by some top clubs, so Eagles fans can be excited about seeing him in action in the season ahead.
It will be interesting to see if the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle live to regret not signing him while they could, as his value will surely soar if he shines in the Premier League.