Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit of Lulinha, the latest
wonder-kid of Brazilian football, by sending two scouts to watch
the 17-year-old play on Wednesday evening. It is now hoped by the
Premier League club that an £8m deal to sign the precocious striker
may be agreed in time for the January transfer window.
The scouts were sent to Rio Janeiro at the behest of Frank Arnesen,
Chelsea's chief scout and director of youth development, who is
determined to sign Lulinha having missed out on another Brazilian
prodigy, Alexandre Pato, last summer despite offering more than
£13m for the teenager who later joined Milan.
Lulinha currently plays for the Brazilian club Corinthians and the
scouts watched him in the 2-1 away defeat to Flamengo. Despite the
loss, which leaves the famous old club near the bottom of the
league table, Lulinha caught the eye by setting up his team's goal
with a solo run.
The youngster, who does not turn 18 until April, can play as an
attacking midfielder or as a "second striker" and has been dubbed
the "new Ronaldinho" in South America because of his flamboyant
playing style. He is regarded as a player in the classic mould of a
"Brazilian Number 10" and is also a prolific goal-scorer having
struck 12 goals in just seven matches earlier this year as Brazil
won the South American Under-17 Championships.
He has long been compared to Ronaldinho, having shone in a series
of under-age tournaments for club and country with 27 goals in 15
matches for the Corinthians under-17 team. His potential has
already attracted a long-term, lucrative deal with Nike.
