Who is Pedro Lima? The 'heir to Cafu' set to join Wolves after Chelsea interest

Cameron Smith

• 17 Jun 2024 16:59 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea’s pursuit of the biggest talents in South American football saw them enter into negotiations for Sport Recife defender Pedro Lima, but they have officially been beaten to his signature by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Lima was set to join Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg for €7m, plus a further €3.5m in add-ons, but Wolves have hijacked the deal.

With Lima on his way to Molineux, who is he and how good can he become?

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What position does Pedro Lima play?

Lima is a right-back, although his attacking tendencies mean he could become a right winger in the future.

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How good is Pedro Lima?

Lima is regarded as a top prospect in Brazilian football and he made his senior debut for Sport Recife at the start of 2024. Since then, he has emerged onto Chelsea, Real Madrid and Wolves' radar.

Lima also started all five of Brazil U17s’ matches at the U17 World Cup in late 2023, providing an assist in their 3-1 round of 16 win over Ecuador.

Brazilian journalist Julio Gomes spoke to The Transfers Podcast about Lima and admitted: “He’s a very offensive player, an attacking right-back. He’s an old-fashioned Brazilian right-back. So old-fashioned that he will probably become a right winger in Europe.

“He’s a typical Brazilian right-back who attacks very well with a lot of volume and presence in attack. He’s smart, he knows how to cut into the box when needed. But, he’s not a good defender.

“For example, when Sport lost 4-1 to Fortaleza in the semi-final of the Copa do Nordeste, almost all of Fortaleza’s goals were scored on his [Lima’s] side.

“So defensively, Pedro Lima still has a long way to go, but offensively he’s very good. He is very good at crossing. He’s very good at getting into attacking positions. He’s very smart.

“So I have no doubts that whenever he gets to Europe, he will become a right winger instead of a right-back. I think that’s why so many English clubs are interested in him.”

What clubs are interested in Pedro Lima?

Chelsea were extremely interested in signing Lima, as exclusively revealed by The Transfers Podcast.

We understand that Chelsea held talks with Sport Recife’s president Yuri Romao, with the Blues offering an initial €7 million, plus a further €3m in add-ons.

However, Wolves have now hijacked the deal and Lima is heading to Molineux, as revealed by Sport Recife themselves.

Liverpool, PSG, Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester City have also been linked with a move for Lima in the past.

When does Pedro Lima’s contract expire?

Lima’s current contract at Sport Recife runs until 30 September 2027.

How old is Pedro Lima?

Lima was born on 1 July 2006. He is 17 years old at the time of writing.

What is Pedro Lima’s Instagram?

Lima’s Instagram account is @pedrolima2__. He has 87.3k followers as of June 2024.