- EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
HITC Football understands that Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs that clubs that have missed out on young Brazilian defender Pedro Felipe.
The 19-year-old was also of interest to Newcastle United but will now be making the switch from Palmeiras to Italian giants Juventus.
The 19-year-old centre-back has caught the eye of a number of European scouts including those from some Premier League sides.
However, Juventus have sealed an initial loan deal for the teenager which includes an option to buy for £2m.
Arsenal and Chelsea miss out on Pedro Felipe
It’s been a very quiet transfer window thus far in the Premier League approaching Thursday’s deadline.
The Gunners are yet to make a signing and Mikel Arteta appeared to rule out a move for any player in the coming days.
Arsenal are putting together a decent title challenge, but Arteta will need his current squad to step up if they’re going to push Liverpool and Manchester City all the way.
After a hectic 18 months under Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s manic transfer policy appears to have calmed down for now.
They’ve also not made a signing this month, although they’ve been offered plenty of forward options such as Karim Benzema and Martin Braithwaite.
Chelsea and Arsenal have both made signings in recent times with the future in mind and Pedro Felipe certainly fits that mould.
Instead, they’ll be watching closely to see how he gets on in Serie A with Juventus.
Who is Pedro Felipe?
Pedro Felipe is far from a household name outside of Brazil and only became a regular for their Under-20 side last season.
The six-foot-two centre-back is right-footed and has won several titles with Palmeiras’s youth teams.
Pedro Felipe de Jesus Gomes to give him his full name arrived at Palmeiras in 2022 from Vitoria but looks set to already be on the move.
It’s unlikely that Pedro Felipe will go straight into Juventus’s first team when he arrives in Italy.
Their ‘Next Gen’ side now compete in Italy’s third tier and that would be the perfect next step for the teenager.
Rather than sitting on the bench of the first team or continuing to play youth football, he’ll able to ply his trade against senior professionals in Serie C Group B.
Arsenal and Chelsea both have exciting young defenders of their own and may not be too upset right now to have missed out on Pedro Felipe.
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