Barcelona could lose out on next Messi despite scouting him for a year

Stuart Telford

• 31 Mar 2024 12:02 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona have been scouting Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao for at least a year, but now Premier League big guns are prepared to enter the race for the talented teenager.

Barcelona need to act first in the market these days as they labour with a debt that stands at €1.2 billion, building stars rather than buying them for premium fees.

Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Cancelo or Joao Felix might have big names, but they were signed on free transfers and loan deals last summer.

READ MORE: Latest Barcelona transfer rumours

Their scouting operation in Brazil is significant, and they were monitoring Palmeiras wonderkid Endrick before he agreed a €60 million transfer for Real Madrid. But while they were at it, his teammate Estevao caught their eye.

But the winger, previously known as 'Messinho', has a €60m release clause of his own, and while Barca are unable to pay that at the moment, that isn't true of other European big guns.

"It won't be easy to get Messinho, since he already has a large number of suitors in Europe, such as Manchester City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal and PSG," reports Mundo Deportivo's Mario Rios. "And Palmeiras are asking for a high transfer fee for the young Brazilian…"

READ MORE: Barcelona's 10 best transfers of all time

How good is Estevao?

A left-footed, fleet-footed winger with a low centre of gravity, quick dribbling skills, and a penchant for cutting inside from the right before finding the corner of the opposiition's goal, it is easy to see why Estevao was first nicknamed 'Messinho'.

He signed a contract with Nike aged 10, surpassing Real star Rodrygo as the you gest player to secure such a deal, and more recently has fired Palmeiras to a host of youth titles, including domestic league and cup doubles at U17 level.

Since progressing to senior football, at the tender age of 16, he has six goals and four assists from 24 appearances in all competitions to his name, and already has a market value of €10m according to FootballTransfers' official data partner SciSports.