Manchester United are always on the search for the world’s best youngsters and now a Brazilian has made his way onto the shortlist.
The Manchester United academy is a testament to the continued importance placed on the youth, with the U18s of last season winning the treble – and this year’s team also looking dominant.
The Red Devils have an impressive group of young players, with Ineos continuing the academy recruitment trend this past summer.
Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth have added a handful of potentially world-class players to the youth ranks with Sekou Kone formerly of FC Guidars the oldest at 18.
Chido Obi-Martin is the name people are most excited about after his move from Arsenal, with Chido already impressing United fans with clips of the 16-year-old in training.
Ineos have firm interest in Kaua Elias
Not to be content with the current country leading academy talents, United are now looking to add a talented South American to the ranks – with a trip to Fluminense for the first time since 2007.
United have only signed two players from Fluminense these being the Da Silva twins Fabio and Rafael but could soon make that three with 18-year-old Kaua Elias.
The talented striker is one United are said to hold a firm interest in according to Ben Jacob’s notebook for GiveMeSport.
Widely tipped as the next big Brazilian export to the Premier League, United are set to be rivalled by Fulham, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli – with the Craven Cottage outfit being long-term admirers, believing Elias has the qualities to be a prolific goal scorer due to his natural eye for a goal – although he would join a competitive striking department in the United academy.
| Player | Age |
| Ethan Wheatley | 18 |
| Gabriele Biancheri | 18 |
| Chido Obi-Martin | 16 |
| Louie Bradbury | 15 |
United are new suitors and he is not top of the club’s list to sign considering Sir Jim Ratcliffe is more keen on adding British-born talent – with United links to Chris Rigg heating up.
However, the biggest stumbling block will be Fluminense’s valuation of £25m plus add-ons which is hardly representative of the player he currently is with five goals in 21 Brazilian Serie A games through 2024.
Manchester United could be signing a player with Richarlison-like style
Signing a virtually unheard-of talent from South America has its risks – so to learn more about this United target, we have spoken with Brazilian football expert and Vamo Futebol editor-in-chief, Rogerio Amaral Junior.
“Kauã Elias is a young player still developing. He has always been treated as a very promising striker in youth football, with the quality to become a big name. This year he is having his first full season in the pros. However, he had some episodes of indiscipline off the field, which made him lose some space.
“Since July, he has been used more and has had good performances. He is a striker who moves a lot and has speed and skill. But I believe that if he went to a big Premier League team right now, he would have a bit of difficulty.
“Personally, I think his style of play is similar to that of Richarlison, now at Tottenham. But I believe Kauã Elias has more skill.”
From the sounds of things, Elias would be one for the future, as he is not quite at a first-team Premier League level just now, although if he goes on to resemble Richarlison at Everton then United could be getting a £60m player or more.
This is a move we would be excited to see as Elias clearly has the potential to be a star.
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