Chelsea Transfer Rumor: Blues, Barcelona Set To Go Head-To-Head For Portuguese Starlet?

If the latest reports are to be believed, cash-rich Premier League giants Chelsea and Spanish La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are set to make an impressive bid for Portuguese Primeira Liga side Benfica’s young striker Nelson Oliveira in an attempt to lure away the player to either England or Spain.

Oliveira, 20, according to a Portuguese newspaper Record, has been monitored by both Barca and Chelsea throughout the entire season. Both the clubs have reportedly sent scouts to get detailed information about the player. Scouts from both sides have been impressed by the youngster’s burning form the entire season.

The Blues first noticed the youngster in action when Chelsea played Benfica in the Champions League this season and booked their Champions League semi-final spot against Barcelona by beating Benfica 3-1 on aggregate in the last-eight. Oliveira impressed in both the legs.

However, Chelsea will also know that all the transfer negotiations depend on the team ability to qualify for Europe’s most elite competition next season. The team is currently in the sixth place in the Premier League and needs the fourth spot at least to book a place. But this could change if Chelsea, who are the finals of the Champions League this year, manages to beat the other finalists Bayern Munich in Munich.

Otherwise, Barcelona will have a massive advantage over the Londoners when they make a final bid for the youngster at the end of the season. With the fourth place looking like a major uphill battle for Chelsea, their only chance of making any bid for the player is by winning the competition.

Nelson Miguel Castro Oliveira, who has been a part of Benfica’s youth team since 2006, made his first senior start for the club in 2011 playing 45 minutes in a 2-0 away victory against Portimonense S.C. for the season's Portuguese Cup. The youngster has made as many as 15 appearances for the Estadio da Luz-based club in all competitions and has managed to score three times.