Chelsea increase offer for Brazil wonderkid Pedro Lima

Duncan Castles

Updated: 31 May 2024 10:38 BST
4 min read

Chelsea face paying the full release clause for Sport Club do Recife right back Pedro Lima, with the clubs still apart in negotiations for the 17-year-old, The Transfers Podcast understands.

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Club president Yuri Romao was in the United Kingdom this week in order to discuss a transfer with the Blues, as first revealed on Monday.

In those conversations, Chelsea offered a guaranteed fee of €7 million with bonuses of a further €3m.

As Lima does not yet qualify for a UK work permit, Chelsea's sporting directors have proposed a development path that will see the teenager start his European career at French feeder club RC Strasbourg.

In consideration of Chelsea's significant UEFA Financial Fair Play and Premier League Profit and Sustainability difficulties, the teenager's initial transfer from Brazil may be direct to Strasbourg, owned by the same BlueCo parent company as the London club.

However, despite talks, Sport have NOT agreed to sell the promising young player as yet. They are holding out for his full release clause of €12.1m.

Man City also keen

There is competition for Pedro Lima from Manchester City, who would place him in one of City Football Group’s European clubs, as well as clubs in Italy and Spain.

A fast right back who excels in attacking opponents one-on-one, Lima has been compared to former Brazil captain Cafu. He played all five matches for his nation's Under-17s at October's World Cup in Indonesia and was recently called up to his nation's Under-20 squad.

Promoted to Sport's first team in January, Lima won the Campeonato Pernambucano in April, has been an ever-present in Brazil's Serie B, and had his contract improved and extended until 2027 in February.

The £1billion-plus overhaul of Chelsea's squad in the two years since Clearlake Capital led a £2.5bn takeover of the club has been primarily focused on young talents, with a significant percentage of signings from South America.

Chelsea have already bought Deivid Washington, Angelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos from Brazil. Right winger Gabriel and central midfielder Santos spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Strasbourg making 21 and 11 Ligue 1 appearances respectively.

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