Messinho: Manchester City & Chelsea tipped to rival Barcelona for Brazilian 'little Messi'
The 16-year-old attacker, affectionately named after the world's greatest player, is already attracting attention from Europe's elite clubs
Manchester City and Chelsea are set to face competition from Barcelona for Palmeiras sensation Estevao Willian, who is also known as "little Messi".
Messinho, who turned 16 in April, is the club's next exciting talent after Endrick, who will join Real Madrid when he reaches 18 in 2024.
Like Endrick, Messinho will not be able to move to Europe until the age of 18, but he is already being tracked by a number of the continent's top teams.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the player's father visited Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in October.
The youngster previously told MD that he dreamed of playing for Barcelona, but the Spanish champions look set to face fierce competition for his signing.
Estevao Willian is affectionately known as Messinho "little Messi" due to his trickery and skills.
Messinho plays as a winger and is considered the most exciting young talent in Brazilian football after Endrick, who helped Palmeiras claim the Brazilian title earlier this month.
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The young winger has already represented Brazil at Under-17 level and has won Sao Paulo youth championships with Palmeiras U-17 and U-15 teams.
Messinho has a release clause of €50 million.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.