'Generational talent' - how did Chelsea land Quenda deal?

"He is a once-in-a-generation kind of talent."

There are big expectations on 17-year-old Geovany Quenda.

Having burst on to the football scene over the past 12 months with Sporting and on the international youth stage, a move away from Portugal was always likely to be on the cards.

That move had expected to be a reunion with his former boss Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. However, the recruitment team at Stamford Bridge swooped in first.

But, excited Blues fans will have to wait to see the teenage talent in a Chelsea kit with Quenda to stay with Sporting until the summer of 2026.

"He had a 100m euro release clause but Chelsea and Manchester United knew that with 50m, 55m, 60m euros that Sporting would agree to sell because he is a very young player. He has a lot of potential," Portuguese football journalist and pundit Mariana Fernandes told BBC Sport.

"With Sporting having almost another season and a half with the player, this did the trick for Chelsea to seize the opportunity.

"He has a good story, is very young and he exploded with this in-fashion coach in Amorim. He is going to a team that explores youth and young players and I think that is what Chelsea saw, a chance to seize an opportunity to sign a player who in two seasons' time would be double the price and much harder to sign."

Quenda recorded 20 goal contributions in 33 appearances for Sporting's under-23s last season and has 10 goals involvements in 44 games this campaign.

He is impressing with his pace, strength and technical ability already, but is he ready to step up to Premier League level?

"He is a generational talent," Fernandes says.

"Here in Portugal, there is a common theme with Sporting fans, Benfica fans, Porto fans, all the football fans, that we are not going to get a lot of Geovany Quendas every year. He is a once-in-a-generation kind of talent.

"I think the mentality of Quenda is already there. He is already a principal main team player even though he is only 17 years old.

"He will need to adapt to playing in a bigger league, a bigger club, with bigger challenges and bigger opponents - but the quality is there, the mentality is there, he just needs to put in the work. I think he is ready."