Chelsea are preparing to expand their copious ranks even further with a summer swoop for Brazilian prodigy Vitor Roque, who has been making waves in his homeland and attracting the interest of Europe’s top outfits.

What’s the latest on Vitor Roque to Chelsea?

According to 90min, the 18-year-old starlet is “ready” for Europe, and could look to forge a move with a host of outfits from the Premier League intrigued; the interest of La Liga giants Barcelona has also been piqued.

The Athletico Paranaense forward has a €60m (£53m) release clause in his contract, already his outfit’s record transfer after they triggered his previous release clause at Cruzeiro.

Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United will compete with the Blues, but the financial power of affluent owner Todd Boehly could swing the odds in the favour of the west London side.

Is Vitor Roque the next Neymar?

Chelsea have always been a club known to heap an emphasis on the youth ranks, but under the new owner, there is a discernible trend in targeting select phenoms who can make an impact at the higher level after nurturing their talents at Stamford Bridge.

And Roque, who has been riding the crest of a wave in Brazil, boasts all the acumen to become a devastating force on the European scene, emulating the recent success of the likes of Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr., both now flourishing at the highest level.

This season, the “diamond” prospect, as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has netted once from two appearances, starting strongly after clinching 14 goals and providing five assists from 52 outings in a mammoth campaign.

And as per FBref, the Brazil U20 international also exhibits his robust, combative nature by ranking among the top 11% of forwards for tackles and the top 3% for interceptions per 90, which would serve him well in making an impact in the Premier League and not shirking away from his defensive duties.

With a successful swoop, Chelsea could even unearth their own Neymar Jr, especially considering the “crazy potential” of the gem, as also described by Kulig.

Neymar emerged as one of the globe’s most exciting young attackers after plying his trade to resounding success with Santos, scoring 70 goals and serving 35 assists from 134 matches before earning a £49m move to Barcelona in 2013 – the rest, as they say, is history.

The maverick, with 77 goals from 124 Brazil caps, has won a plethora of major honours over his distinguished career, now starring for Paris Saint-Germain alongside Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders for goals and the top 3% for assists per 90, the superlative sensation is an embodiment of the forward flair that Brazil churns out with regularity, and Roque could indeed be the next big thing, especially given his positional versatility between a central role and a wide-roaming position.

Praised for a ‘natural prowess’ by Matheus Soares for Breaking the Lines, the young ace is fast, powerful and potent, and given the chance to break into prominence at Stamford Bridge, his expansive skill set sets him in stellar stead to impress and exceed the expectations of Blues boss Graham Potter.

Despite the pricey tag on the player, making a swoop and securing one of the globe’s most coveted teenage talents would continue a promising trend of investing in youth under Boehly, and if Chelsea find fruit in their lunge, one of the game’s budding superstars might well be procured.