Chelsea were among several Premier League clubs scouting Monza's 21-year-old forward Gustavo Varela in Italy on Saturday. Representatives from Tottenham, Newcastle United, Brighton, Brentford, and Fulham also attended the match at the Renato Dall’Ara. The Portuguese striker has attracted growing interest after scoring nine goals in his first nine Serie A starts for the newly promoted side. RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid also had scouts present. Additionally, Italian clubs including Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan have shown interest in his progress, and Arsenal are also understood to have been impressed. Varela, who has 7 caps and 4 goals for Portugal U21, joined Monza from Benfica II in July 2026 for a reported fee between €2.5 million and €3.5 million, signing a contract until June 2030. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €5.0M. In October 2026, reports in Italy valued him at approximately €15 million. During that time, there were also conflicting reports about a potential Benfica buy-back clause valued between €9.5 million and €10 million.