CHELSEA are set to miss out on the signing of wonderkid Matheus Franca.
That's after Crystal Palace reportedly struck a deal to sign the 19-year-old.
The Blues interest in the Brazilian was first reported in early July.
However, it was later claimed Palace were set to swoop in to complete a deal.
And the Eagles have done exactly that according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, via Globo.
Franca – dubbed the next Vinicius Jr. – is now on the verge of a £26million transfer.
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Palace will pay a fixed fee of £17m for the Flamengo star, with a further £9m included in add-ons.
The central midfielder will reportedly undergo his medical today.
He will then travel to England on Tuesday ahead of the moves announcement.
Chelsea saw their attempts to sign Franca knocked back by the Copa Libertadores champions.
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Mauricio Pochettino's side were reportedly hoping to complete a deal in the region of £17m.
Franca had also been linked with Newcastle in January.
He has scored nine goals from 54 games for the Brazilian outfit.
The move will represent the south London sides second signing of the summer following the arrival of Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer.
Palace said goodbye to club legend Wilfried Zaha this window, with the 30-year-old completing a transfer to Galatasaray after his contract at Selhurst Park expired.
In Chelsea's case, they have moved to hijack Liverpool's loan move for Kylian Mbappe with an audacious cash-plus-player proposal.
Elsewhere, they are understood to have agreed fees for Ligue 1 duo Axel Disasi (£38m) and Lesley Ugochukwu (£23.5m).
The Blues have already landed Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson Angelo Gabriel for a combined fee of £97m.
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