Chelsea are eyeing up another of Ruben Amorim’s former Sporting Lisbon players after hijacking Manchester United’s move for Geovany Quenda.
The teenage winger had reportedly been high up on United’s summer wishlist, but the 17-year-old is now bound for Stamford Bridge instead.
The Blues have agreed a £41 million transfer fee for Quenda who will remain at the Portuguese club next season before he eventually moves to the Premier League.
United did harbour genuine interest in Quenda and held talks with his agent Jorge Mendes, but the January arrival of Patrick Dorgu is said to have played a role in a change of heart from the club’s transfer chiefs.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are continuing to build their portfolio of oustanding young players with Quenda the latest addition.
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The likes of Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian are already on their way to supplement the likes of Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto.
Chelsea ‘s spending will not stop there, however, and according to Fabrizio Romano they are already eyeing another player who developed under Amorim at Sporting in the shape of Dario Essugo.
The talented midfielder has been firmly on BlueCo ‘sradar since January and Chelsea will hope that their excellent relationship with Sporting, a consequence of the Quenda deal, will ensure Essugo’s move goes through smoothly in the summer.
Essugo featured twice for Sporting at the start of the current campaign, when Amorim was still in charge, before he was loaned out to Las Palmas for whom he has made 17 La Liga appearances.
Sporting Lisbon manager Rui Borges meanwhile believes Quenda will be making a ‘natural’ next step when he joins Chelsea.
His growth has been rapid at Sporting, it’s natural that people talk about him to big clubs,’ Borges said.
‘He’s a kid who will have to learn to live with that. The deal that’s being talked about today, I can’t go into that until the club talks about it, because I don’t know.’
Asked about Quenda’s state of mind since being approached by Chelsea, he added: “I didn’t mention it specifically.
‘It’s something he has to learn to live with, he’s been growing quickly, sometimes we forget that he’s only 17.
‘It’s natural that they’ll talk about him, they’ll link him to many clubs, that will be part of his growth. It will affect him mentally, but he has to learn to live with it.’
