Estevao's agent takes dig at Barcelona as he praises Chelsea's smart approach | OneFootball

Estevao's representative, Andre Cury, opened up about his client's failed move to Barcelona and highlighted Chelsea's smart approach to reintegrating young talents compared to the Catalan club.

Chelsea announced the agreement with Palmeiras for the signing of Estevao for an initial fee reportedly worth £29m in the summer of 2024.

The Blues had to wait for a whole year for him to turn 18 before he was allowed to move to England, but there is no doubt that it all paid off.

The young winger's meteoric rise for the club has helped Chelsea stay in the Premier League title race and compete in the Champions League, especially amid Cole Palmer's injury absence.

Chelsea were not the only club pursuing Estevao back then, however, as revealed by his representative, Cury.

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"The technical department (of Barcelona) always approved Estevao's signing," the agent told Cadena SER.

"We met with Deco more than once, but Deco is tied up because the club's finances do not allow for future signings.

"Now Estevao has a five-year contract and is enjoying himself at Chelsea.

"He has a special fondness for Barça."

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This is interesting because Chelsea did not specifically mention the length of Estevao's contract when they announced the deal last year.

Sky Sports, for example, claimed that Estevao signed a seven-year contract until 2032, while other reports suggest he is on an eight-year deal until 2033.

Considering Chelsea's recent contracts, it would make sense if Estevao was offered a longer deal than the five-year agreement claimed by his agent.

Cury compares Barcelona's approach with Chelsea's

Cury, who is a former Barcelona representative for the Americas, also represents several other players through his company Link Sports.

One of them is Vitor Roque, who joined Barcelona in 2023.

Roque's stint at Barcelona ended earlier this year after the club sold him to Brazilian side Palmeiras, after previously sending him on loan to Real Betis.

It is safe to say that Cury was not happy with how Barcelona treated his client.

"I don't know either," he said when speaking about Roque's short spell at Barcelona.

"If you sign a player, you have to do what Chelsea did: bring him on gradually, give him playing time.

"Vitor was often put on the wing, and he doesn't play there."