Chelsea are reportedly close to sealing a deal to sign yet another Brazilian prospect.
Co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are nearing three years at Stamford Bridge since taking over the club from Roman Abramovich.
During that period, they have made a sustained attempt to sign some of the top prospects from South American football, the likes of Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel and Deivid Washington having already arrived at Stamford Bridge.
While Santos is in line to represent the Blues next season, Angelo and Washington have already left for pastures new, but the acquisitions of Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian have been secured for July 2025, joining Aaron Anselmino who has made the switch from Boca Juniors.
According to Brazilian journalist Vene Casagrande, who was commenting on X, another prospect from that part of the world will soon be signing a deal with Chelsea.
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Corinthians youngster to pen Chelsea contract
The report claims that Corinthians youngster Denner has agreed to commit to a transfer to the Premier League giants.
Denner has only recently turned 17 years of age, meaning that he still has at least another year - July 2026 to be precise - before FIFA regulations will allow him to move to West London.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have seemingly chosen to agree to pay €15m (£12.4m), add-ons included, for a player who is yet to make an appearance in senior football.
Four goals and one assists have been contributed from 18 appearances for Corinthians' youth side, an impressive tally from his role of left-back.
A long-term deal is said to have been agreed with Chelsea, with Corinthians possessing a sell-on clause for the future.
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A business move or one for the future?
At this stage, it is difficult to predict how Denner's career will pan out with another 15 months to be spent with Corinthians in the short term.
From Chelsea's perspective, they have already seen with Angelo that they can make a profit from signing a Brazilian prodigy without him ever representing the first team in a competitive match.
Such a scenario is likely to ensure that Boehly and Clearlake are not deterred on that front anytime soon, and there is, of course, potential for Denner to blossom into a member of the first-team squad.
Rather than Marc Cucurella, it is Chelsea academy player Ishe Samuels-Smith who may be most interested in the deal given that he has penned a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2029.
The 18-year-old left-back has made 15 appearances in Premier League 2 this campaign and has featured in squads for Premier League and EFL Cup fixtures.
Darren Plant
