Chelsea 'beat Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan to 18-year-old Benfica starlet'

Chelsea are reportedly poised to pip Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan to the signing of 18-year-old Benfica starlet Diego Moreira.

The Belgium-born attacker came through the academy ranks at Standard Liege before joining the Benfica setup in 2020, and he has gained recognition with his performances at youth level.

Moreira has featured heavily for Benfica's B team in the Liga Portugal 2 this season, coming up with two goals and two assists from 19 games, albeit while also picking up two red cards.

The teenager also caught the eye in the UEFA Youth League with a goal and assist in a 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain before setting up another goal in a 3-2 loss to Juventus, as Benfica suffered a group-stage exit.

Prior to this year's continental disappointment, Moreira played a major role in Benfica's run to the 2021-22 UEFA Youth League title, and he made his first-team debut under Nelson Verissimo on the final day of the Primeira Liga season against Pacos de Ferreria.

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Moreira also came on for the final minute of a Champions League qualifying win over FC Midtjylland back in August, but he has not been seen with the first team since.

Comfortable on either wing and in the number nine position, Moreira has already earned 12 caps for the Portugal Under-19 team, scoring twice and providing one assist.

The 18-year-old's exploits in the UEFA Youth League in particular are thought to have attracted plenty of suitors, and Record claims that Chelsea have won the race to prise him away from Benfica.

Moreira's current deal with the Portuguese giants expires at the end of the season, and he has supposedly decided not to renew his contract in order to move to Stamford Bridge.

AC Milan and PSG were also hopeful of striking a deal for Moreira, but the Portuguese starlet is poised to become the latest in a long line of young players to join the Blues in the Todd Boehly era.

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The likes of Andrey Santos, Omari Hutchinson, Gabriel Slonina, David Datro Fofana, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka have made the move to West London in recent months, although Chelsea are expected to be focused on outgoings as much as incomings this summer.

The Blues reported a loss of £121m in their latest financial accounts, having spent over £600m on a plethora of big-name stars such as Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling.

A significant summer clearout could therefore see at least eight players depart, with Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic all on the chopping block, while Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic could also leave if they fail to pen fresh terms.

The futures of loanees Joao Felix and Denis Zakaria are yet to be sorted out either, while all of Romelu Lukaku, Malang Sarr, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu will return from their temporary spells abroad at the end of the season.