Manchester United and Chelsea are keeping a very close eye on Brazilian side Palmeiras’ academy.
Sport Witness understands scouts from both Premier League clubs have been regularly watching the Brazilian side’s youngsters. That has been quite noticeable over the past month.
The U15 team has received plenty of attention from Manchester United and Chelsea. Their interest in Palmeiras’ academy goes even younger, though.
Scouts going as young as U12 level
Sport Witness sources told us the two English clubs have also been following other age groups, going as young as U12 level.
Their scouts have been attending matches and watching from the stands. They also have the necessary access inside Palmeiras to follow the academy closely. But we haven’t been able to establish whether there’s any kind of formal partnership behind that access.
That’s quite useful because these youth games aren’t always played at Palmeiras’ main training centre. Yet Manchester United and Chelsea have continued to have people present.
There’s also no indication at this stage that either club are targeting one specific youngster. What we can say is that their scouts have been repeatedly watching Palmeiras’ youth sides.
Given the ages involved, this is obviously a long-term job. International transfer rules mean these youngsters cannot simply be taken from Brazil and moved to England now.
So United and Chelsea appear determined to know what’s coming through at Palmeiras well before those players become realistic transfer options.
Palmeiras’ academy gives them plenty of reason to watch
It’s hardly difficult to understand why Premier League clubs would want an early look. Palmeiras have produced a remarkable collection of talent in recent years.
Gabriel Jesus came through their system before Manchester City signed him. More recently, Endrick went to Real Madrid and Vitor Reis joined Manchester City.
And then there’s Estêvão, who provides the most obvious Chelsea connection. The Blues agreed a deal for him while he was still 17. He remained with Palmeiras before eventually making the move to England after turning 18.
Those successes also mean European clubs don’t necessarily want to wait until the next big Palmeiras talent becomes obvious. Manchester United and Chelsea are getting their homework done much earlier. 16-year-old Eduardo Conceição is a good example.
Watching U15 football is already planning well into the future. Going down to U12 level takes that to another level entirely.
What Sport Witness can confirm is the repeated presence of Manchester United and Chelsea scouts around Palmeiras’ academy. And over the past month, that attention has been quite strong.
