Chelsea haven't officially announced the arrival of Geovany Quenda, but the formalities have reportedly already been tied up ahead of his £42million transfer from Sporting in the summer of 2026. Yet the teenager could be forgiven for already having second thoughts about his move to Stamford Bridge as the Blues prepare for yet another firesale. The winger, 17, has agreed personal terms on an eight-year contract after the west London outfit secretly snatched the Portugal international from under Manchester United's nose. Quenda is rated as one of Europe's top emerging talents and there will be some excited individuals in the Chelsea recruitment department who are delighted at snapping up another potential star. But the club's recent transfer record suggests there are few reasons to be optimistic about Quenda's move to Stamford Bridge.
Joao Felix and Renato Veiga were among the 11 players to arrive in the capital last summer as part of a £220million spend, with Felix costing £45m from Atletico Madrid and Veiga joining for £12m from FC Basel. Within the space of seven months, the pair were cast aside by Enzo Maresca and asked to leave. Felix joined AC Milan while Veiga headed to Juventus - both on straight six-month loan deals - earning Chelsea £9m in loan fees and a combined £200,000-a-week contribution to help cover their wages.
Felix and Veiga are both contracted until June 2031, yet it appears increasingly likely that they will leave permanently in the summer - barely a year after penning their long-term contracts. It wouldn't be surprising at all, then, if the Portuguese duo felt obliged to call up Quenda and advise him to abort his plans to move to London because the same could easily happen to him.
The same could be said for Benoit Badiashile, Lesley Ugochukwu and Caleb Wiley, who are tied down until 2030 but look vulnerable to being sold. Aaron Anselmino, who signed from Boca Juniors for £16m last summer, hasn't played a single minute of competitive football for the west London club and has six years left on his deal.
It's difficult to argue against the idea that the sextet are merely being used as pawns in the transfer market or to earn a quick buck, as Chelsea try to recoup some of the eye-watering £1.3bn spent by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Quenda is without a doubt a gifted footballer and that was recognised early on at Sporting, where he was given his debut by Ruben Amorim at the age of 16. Now he's a first-team regular with 42 appearances this season, but that won't be guaranteed by any means at Chelsea, where competition for places is rife.
As a winger, he faces squabbling with Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Tyrique George, Kendry Paez, Estevao Willian and potentially Mykhaylo Mudryk for a place in the side. The teenager operates as a wing-back for his current employers, but Maresca's 4-2-3-1 system doesn't allow for that - limiting the wonderkid's chances of proving himself under the Italian.
Quenda will believe he can make an impression at Chelsea and, given how Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto have worked their way into the side from a young age, it remains entirely possible that he could silence the doubters.
Given how his compatriots were exiled so quickly, though, the grim thought of seeing his career stagnate in similar fashion may raise the alarm bells.