Chelsea beat Real Madrid to South American wonderkid in bizarre deal

Chelsea FC has once again turned its attention to the vibrant footballing talents emerging from South America, setting its sights on the Brazilian right-back, Pedro Lima. Singing the Brazilian youngster was no easy task as Real Madrid had their eyes on the talented defender.

According to Planeta Real Madrid, the Brazilian was rumored to be Dani Carvajal's future substitute. The young talent (17) was an ideal option for the Spanish club but lost the race to Chelsea FC.

Nevertheless, Chelsea's ability to comply with FFP (Financial Fair Play) rules has left the club in a slight pickle. The English club coordinated the deal alongside Strasbourg, a Ligue 1 team, in order to secure the long-term services of Pedro Lima.

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"Chelsea have prepared Pedro Lima deal with Strasbourg: Brazilian right back expected to join the French club from Sport Recife," shared Fabrizio Romano on X.

Nevertheless, the Italian journalist highlighted there is "an agreement on personal terms, working on final details between clubs to be sealed in the next days."

Why did they involve Strasbourg? Well, the French team is owned by the same consortium of American investors that owns Chelsea, hence using the French club as a 'development club', simultaneously boosting the club's growth.

Spanish journalist Ramon Alvarez labeled the transfer deal as "a clever move from Chelsea when considering their FFP issues... It explains his move to Strasbourg."

According to the Guardian, the English club was hit with a pre-tax loss of €106 million (£90m/$115m) in 2023. The figures follow a loss of €143m (£121.4m/$155m) in the previous year, unable to comply with the profit and sustainability rules.

Nevertheless, Pedro Lima is a superb signing for the 'Blues', looking to secure a competitive squad in the next coming years.

Pedro Lima was born on July 1st, 2006, in Cabedelo, Brazil. He joined Sport Recife U17 in 2023 but was immediately brought up to the first team that same season.

According to Transferkmarkt, his market value is somewhere around €600,000 (£500k/$650k) but reports suggest that Chelsea are expected to secure his transfer for a fee of around €8 million (£6.7m/$8.6m). An investment that aligns with Chelsea's long-term strategy of acquiring young talents.

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