Arsenal face Champions League rivals battle as they look to follow Real Madrid and Chelsea with wonderkid transfer
ARSENAL are facing intense competition for the signature of teenage Brazilian forward Luighi, who has been on the Gunners' radar for over a year.
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Arsenal are facing intense competition for the signature of teenage Brazilian forward Luighi
Credit: Reuters
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Arsenal are set to take guidance from Chelsea, who are set to welcome Estevao from Palmeiras this summer
Luighi's new deal now runs until 2029 with an updated release clause of over £70million, but European clubs have been able to negotiate lower sale prices with Palmeiras in the past.
Estevao's
summer
switch to
London
should lead to more first-team opportunities for Luighi, which could be the key to him qualifying for a UK work permit.
The teenager caught Arsenal's eye with a couple of goals for Brazil at the Under-17 World Cup in 2023.
The 19-year-old played a starring role in Palmeiras' run to the final of the Under-20 Copa Libertadores earlier this year and appears to be on the brink of a first-team breakthrough.
Reports of the Gunners' interest emerged in October when Joao Freire of Nosso Palmeiras described him as a player with 'an eye for goal and an ability to create space where none seems to exist.'
Luighi's talents — chiefly his athleticism, fluid movement and close control — are well-suited to the fast-paced demands of European football and he has a similar dribbling style to Wolves star
Palmeiras' reputation as Brazilian football's top talent factory that launched the careers of Estavao, West Ham's Luiz Guilherme,
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Fellow Champions League semi-finalists Inter were alerted to Luighi's talent last year when an Italian agent based in Brazil recommended him to the club.
And
It comes after Arsenal's Champions League victims Real Madrid scouted Endrick from Palmeiras in 2022.
Mikel Arteta forced to pull back fuming Arsenal set piece coach after Declan Rice corner routine goes wrong
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