A unnamed Chelsea “director” approached Flamengo sporting director Jose Boto to discuss a potential deal for right-back Wesley, according to two separate reports.
The O Globo newspaper originally revealed the information on Saturday and ESPN Brasil have now confirmed that the story is true.
Their sources say that Flamengo are currently treating it as an “informal inquiry” at this stage, with no official bid having been tabled.
However, the Blues director is said to have enquired specifically about Wesley and the “conditions” for a transfer. It is believed that negotiations could start following the conclusion of the Club World Cup.
Wesley has been linked with other Premier League clubs
Last month, Manchester City reportedly made a formal enquiry for the 21-year-old. They were considering signing him as a replacement for Kyle Walker.
Most Read on Chelsea News
However, no agreement was reached before the Club World Cup. City were said to be prepared to pay around €35m (£30m) for the defender, but Flamengo are hoping to get as much as €50m (£43m).
Brighton have also been credited with an interest in Wesley in recent days, although it seems their offer is considerably lower – £20m.
Who would he be replacing at Chelsea?
With captain Reece James and Malo Gusto already available to head coach Enzo Maresca, you would not think that reinforcing the right-hand side of defence is the top priority.
However, Gusto has been recently linked with a move to Bayern Munich. If the Frenchman were to make the switch to Germany, it would open up space in the squad for someone like Wesley to be brought in.
It is important to emphasise, though, that Chelsea’s inquiry for the Flamengo star may not end up going anywhere but it is something to keep a close eye on.
In other news, Fabrizio Romano provides an update on Chelsea’s interest in a Brazilian forward