Manchester United and Chelsea are said to be amongst a host of clubs monitoring the progress of Brazilian teenager Bruno Mendes, with the youngster starring in his home country despite facing controversy off the pitch.

Mendes is currently going through issues over who owns his naming rights, with third party ownership more prevalent in South American leagues than throughout Europe.

But on the pitch he looks to be unaffected by any issues surrounding his contract with Brazilian side Botafogo, scoring at the weekend as they won 3-0 over Portugesa to take his tally to 6 goals in the last seven he's featured in.

As a result of his stunning performances, United and Chelsea have both been alerted, with Juventus and AC Milan also believed to be following his progress, Calciomercato reports.

At just 18 years of age, his €8 million price tag would be a steal if Mendes is to realise his potential in England, and while United currently have a plethora of strikers available, Sir Alex Ferguson is always looking to the future and may consider the youngster an integral part of his next generation of stars.

Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo is said to be monitoring Mendes' progress, but Chelsea will face competition from Manchester United, Juventus and AC Milan if they hope to land the teenager.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are well known for dipping into the Brazilian market, and with the club believed to have completed a deal for young defender Wallace to move from Brazilian side Fluminense next summer.

With Daniel Sturridge continuing to disappoint for the Blues, and Fernando Torres also coming up short on multiple occasions this season, the side will be no doubt looking to build with both experienced and up and coming goalscorers in both January and the next summer transfer window.

And as Mendes was included in the Brazil Under 20 side, which has included the likes of Oscar and David Luiz, Chelsea could pull ahead of United in the race to sign the teen, with his national teammates on hand to help him settle into life at Stamford Bridge.

But competition from the Italian sides will also be rife, with Juventus in particular looking to bolster their squad into the realm of being European champions again.

Manchester United FC