Real Madrid battle Chelsea for Brazilian teenager - report

Real Madrid could rival Chelsea for the signing of Sport Recife right-back Pedro Lima, a report has claimed.

Lima, 17, broke through into the starting lineup of the Brazilian second-tier side in January and now has 25 appearances for the team across all competitions.

Chelsea have long been linked with the teenage defender as part of their ongoing scouting mission in South America, and AS state the Blues are currently leading the race to secure Lima's signature for a fee of around €7m (£6m).

Real Madrid, however, are also said to be admirers of Lima and are monitoring developments with Chelsea closely, with club officials considering a rival bid if talks with the 17-year-old break down.

The European champions may need to move quickly as Relevo state Chelsea are close to striking a deal for Lima.

Chelsea have "very little left to close" in their negotiations over Lima, who appears set to become the next South American youngster to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues went shopping in Brazil's Serie B in January 2023 when they plucked midfielder Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama, before Angelo Gabriel and Deivid Washington were signed last summer.

Ecuador midfielder Kendry Paez will complete his much-anticipated move to Chelsea in the summer of 2025, and he will be joined by Palmeiras winger Estevao, who has agreed a whopping €65m switch to the Blues.

Chelsea's scouting of South America has taken inspiration from Madrid, who struck gold with the recruitment of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo when they were still emerging teenagers in their homeland of Brazil.

The goal is to find the next £100m player before they actually cost £100m, with Chelsea's recruitment team spending huge sums on a vast number of young players in the hope of turning a handful into superstars.

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