Chelsea have reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon to sign Portuguese winger Geovany Quenda ahead of Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Quenda, 17, has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, especially since former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim left the club to take over at United.
Amorim gave the highly-rated teenager his Sporting Lisbon debut and was believed to be keen for a reunion at Manchester United.
It was even reported in January that United were close to striking a deal with Quenda, who was open to joining the club.
However, Chelsea have hijacked Manchester United’s move and are now set to win the race to sign a player who has been tipped to become one of the best in Europe and a star for the Portugal national team.
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Chelsea will pay Sporting Lisbon between €45-50m, according to The Athletic, and as part of the deal Quenda will remain at the Portuguese giants next season before moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2026.
Quenda has agreed a seven-year contract with the Blues, keeping him in west London until 2033, after undergoing a secret medical in recent days.
The Portugal U21 star is comfortable on either flank and often played as a right wing-back under Amorim, though he is expected to be deployed as a winger by Chelsea.
Quenda could make more than 50 appearances for Sporting Lisbon this season, having played in ten of their Champions League games.
The player is believed to have held encouraging talks with Enzo Maresca before agreeing to join Chelsea ahead of long-term admirers Manchester United.
Ex-Southampton and Portugal defender Jose Fonte spoke highly of Quenda earlier in the year and backed him to thrive at Old Trafford.
‘Geovany Quenda is only 17 and he has blistering pace,’ he said. ‘He’s very, very quick.
‘He’s one of those players that once he gets the ball, he runs at you. He doesn’t turn around or play the ball backwards.
‘He is so direct and he reminds me of how Manchester United played under Sir Alex Ferguson, he is a bit of a throwback in that sense and that is exciting.
‘He gets the ball and wants to make something happen, when he gets the ball in the final third he knows exactly what he wants to do and puts defenders on the back foot so they end up doubling up on him.
‘He’s a very interesting player because he’s still 17 and he has blistering pace and a great left-foot, he’s creating havoc here in Portugal and could do the same with Manchester United.’
Quenda will return to action for Sporting on Saturday evening against Famalicao, with Rui Borges’ side currently three points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga.
His future club, Chelsea, visit London rivals Arsenal on Sunday as they look to boost their top-four hopes.
The Blues are aiming to qualify for the Champions League after falling away in the title race, while they are the short favourites to win the Europa Conference League.
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