Lucas Piazon set to end nearly ten-year Chelsea ... “career” — report

Back in 2011, 17-year-old Lucas Piazon left Brazilian club São Paulo to join Chelsea, who paid €7.5m for the attacking midfielder’s services, which showed just how highly regarded he was as a prospect. The “Next Kaká”, won’t you know.

Safe to say, he hasn’t quite lived up to that promise. Nowhere near in fact. Nearly a decade later, with three senior Chelsea appearances and countless loans under his belt, his Chelsea ... “career” ... is reportedly coming to an end.

According to Goal, Piazon is being called back from his loan stint with Portuguese team Rio Ave in anticipation of a definitive move this month. The report claims the Blues are negotiating his exit with three different — although unnamed — clubs.

Chelsea are attempting to collect a fee still, with six months left on Piazon’s current contract and a club-option to extend it for another year, giving us some tiny leverage in negotiations. It’s unlikely we’ll recoup much of the initial fee however, especially during COVID-19 times, and especially for a player who’s repeatedly made it clear that he’s long done with the whole Loan Army life.

It’s never good to see a player fail when it comes to delivering on expectations set for them, but the real world is often no fairytale.