Aston Villa’s Allan Elias bid has hit a firm roadblock, with fresh reporting from ESPN Brazil revealing Palmeiras have made it abundantly clear the teenager is not for sale despite growing interest from across Europe.
Journalist André Hernan has provided a detailed account of the discussions behind Villa’s rejected approach, explaining the Brazilian club’s stance goes well beyond simply turning down one offer.
According to him, Palmeiras have no intention of cashing in on the 19-year-old because they believe his value – and his importance to the team – will continue to rise.
Hernan explains Allan’s representatives at Talent Sports, led by Paulo Pitombeira, have been receiving “a lot, a lot of contact from European football” in recent weeks.
Aston Villa became the latest club to make a concrete move, prompting talks between Pitombeira and Palmeiras football director Anderson Barros.
The discussions even included video conferences after Villa tabled what Hernan describes as a €30m (£26m) package.
“They offered €25m plus €5m in guaranteed bonuses. In reality, it’s a €30m offer because those bonuses were linked to very achievable conditions,” he explained.
Those details reinforce that Villa’s proposal was not structured around difficult add-ons. From Palmeiras’ perspective, it was effectively a €30m offer – not
Palmeiras never opened the door
Despite the size of the proposal, Hernan says Allan Elias’ camp already knew how Palmeiras would respond.
“The staff knew Palmeiras didn’t want to sell, but when offers arrive you have to pass them on to the club. You can’t keep an offer to yourself,” he said.
Once the proposal reached Palmeiras, the answer was immediate.
“The response from Palmeiras was very definitive. Allan isn’t for sale.”
According to Hernan, both president Leila Pereira and manager Abel Ferreira are completely aligned on that position.
Why Palmeiras value Allan so highly
Hernan also explained why Palmeiras believe Allan is worth resisting increasingly lucrative offers. Fair to say he would be a good Morgan Rogers’ replacement.
He describes the teenager as “a one-on-one player”, blessed with pace and capable of beating defenders. He also pointed out Allan spent time playing as a No.10 in the academy before developing into his current attacking role.
“He is a one-on-one player. He’s a player with pace. He even played as a No.10 in the academy. He’s still very young and he’s still developing.”
That development is another major reason Abel Ferreira is reluctant to lose him now. Rather than believing Allan Elias has already reached his ceiling, Palmeiras are convinced he is only scratching the surface.
Bigger ambitions than one transfer
Perhaps the most interesting part of Hernan’s update concerns Palmeiras’ long-term thinking.
He says the Brazilian club believe Allan could become part of Brazil’s next Olympic cycle before eventually earning recognition with the senior national team. That expectation plays a major role in their valuation.
“This is my information,” Hernan said. “Palmeiras believe Allan can be part of the next Olympic cycle. They also believe he can reach the senior national team. That could led to a World Cup eventually. Then his value would really explode.”
The expectation inside the club is that international recognition would increase his market value even further.
According to Hernan, Palmeiras are happy to reject offers today because they believe either Allan’s performances or future Brazil call-ups will eventually justify a much higher fee.
Aston Villa may need to go much higher
The ESPN Brazil journalist adds that Aston Villa are far from the first club to discover Palmeiras’ stance.
He says proposals worth €25m (£21.7m), €30m (£26m) and even around €35m (£30.4m) – including interest from Napoli – have all failed to persuade the Brazilian side. We covered that story earlier this year.
“Palmeiras are closing the door because of the player’s importance on the pitch,” Hernan explained. “He’s a gem and Palmeiras have every right not to sell him, and they won’t.”
Even so, Hernan did leave the door slightly open to a very different scenario.
“I can’t imagine Aston Villa coming back with €40m or €45m,” he admitted. “But if someone arrived with €45m, then maybe you have to sell.”
For now, though, he believes that scenario is unlikely. Palmeiras remain convinced Allan Elias’ value will continue climbing, while Aston Villa have already learned that an effective €30m (£26m) bid is nowhere near enough to change the Brazilian club’s plans.
