Arsenal copy clever Chelsea transfer plan as Mikel Arteta targets Estevao Willian teammate

Arsenal appear to have taken a leaf out of Chelsea's book as Mikel Arteta prepares to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window. The Blues signed Estevao Willian from Palmeiras in the summer, agreeing an initial £29m deal, which includes performance-based add-ons.

Chelsea raised eyebrows when they forked out such a hefty fee for the 17-year-old winger, but now he looks to be a shrewd investment. This season, Estevao has featured 30 times for Palmeiras in the Brasileirão, scoring 13 goals and providing nine assists.

Despite missing a few games with an ankle injury and hamstring strain, the teenage sensation managed to break a 15-year record set by Neymar. In 2009, at the same age, the Al-Hilal winger managed to notch 16 direct goal contributions for Santos in the Brazilian top flight.

While Estevao has stolen the headlines this year, his teammates have reportedly perked the interest of some top clubs too. According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Vitor Reis has emerged as a potential target for Arsenal and Chelsea.

The report states that the London rivals have been 'closely monitoring' the 18-year-old defender, whose contract expires in December 2028. Playing a key role in Abel Ferreira's side, Estevao and Reis have helped the Verdão climb to second in the Brasileirão.

With just one game left to play, Palmeiras are three points off Botafogo, who are currently top of the table. Regardless of whether the duo guide the Brazilian club to glory, Arsenal can be confident that Reis could be just as good of a signing as Estevao for Chelsea.

The centre-half has previously left the door open to a move to the Premier League, although – for now – he seems content on home soil. As quoted by Goal, Reis has said: "Everybody wants to play in Europe, but my mind is 100 percent with Palmeiras. I don't think about anything else. I want to win the Brasileirao. We don't need to think about the future right now."

Speaking to The Guardian in October 2023 after he was named in 'Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football', Reis revealed that he's always looked up to Marquinhos and Thiago Silva. He said: "I’ve always looked up to Marquinhos.

"I'm inspired by his attitude on and off the pitch. When I was little, I used to watch a lot of not just Marquinhos, but also Thiago Silva. However, as I was progressing, I realised that it didn't need to look that far afield because here we have Murilo [Cerqueiro], [Gustavo] Gomez and [Kaiky] Naves. Through them, I saw what I needed to do [to become a top centre-back]."

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