Corinthians want at least £17 million for Pedrinho with Newcastle United one of the Premer League clubs battling Ajax and Borussia Dortmund for the wonderkid’s signature, according to Goal.
Perhaps inspired by the remarkable success of Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid, the next generation of Samba starlets are already being lined up for big-money moves across the continent.
16-year-old Endrick de Souza has already joined Vinicius at the Santiago Bernabeu for an initial £33 million. Palmeiras team-mate Giovani could be crossing the Atalantic too. Vitor Roque, meanwhile, is in the centre of a tug-of-war between Arsenal and Barcelona.
Roque scored six goals in eight games as Brazil won the U20 South American Championships recently. And another member of that Selecao squad also finds himself in high demand.
Will Newcastle United land Pedrinho?
Pedrinho, likened to a young Lionel Messi, only turned 17 last month. He has not yet made his debut in Brazil’s top-flight. Nonetheless, that has not stopped Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Brighton and Hove Albion – four clubs with a penchant for targeting the game’s next generation of superstars – from expressing an interest.
Pedrinho has a £45 million release clause in his contract. Corinthians may sell for less, but still hope to make the teenager their most expensive-ever export. Currently, their biggest sale remains Paulinho, the former Barcelona and Brazil enforcer who joined Tottenham Hotspur for a cool £17 million a decade ago.
The likes of Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Willian also passed through the Arena Corinthians.
“Pedrinho’s emergence with more time is natural,” Corinthians coach Fernando Lazaro explains, via BolaVip.
“He’s been with us for 15 days, summoned (to the senior squad) for the first time. He has been showing in training and ended up with a good shot (of making his debut).
“Understanding what stage he is at is important. I know there is a rush (to bring Pedrinho into the side), but we have to work calmly.”
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