Manchester City scout €12 million Brazil starlet alongside two major Premier League rivals

Manchester City have reportedly become the third Premier League club to send scouts to watch teenager Pedro Lima.

The 17-year-old is the latest South American prodigy to be watched by Manchester City scouts, as the City Football Group continue to target young players in the region following a January move for midfielder Claudio Echeverri.

The Argentinian teenager penned a deal until 2028 at the Etihad Stadium as part of an initial £12.5 million deal, and is expected to move to east Manchester from River Plate later this year.

Echeverri is the third recent Manchester City signing from Argentina, with the Sky Blues having also completed previous deals for Maximo Perrone and Julian Alvarez, with the latter making his 100th appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side earlier this month.

Etihad chiefs have additionally recently completed a record-breaking move for 14-year-old American star Cavan Sullivan, who will move to Manchester City upon turning 18 from MLS side Philadelphia Union.

The CONMEBOL region could prove fruitful for the Sky Blues again in the near future, with Manchester City joining Liverpool and Chelsea in recently sending scouts to watch teenage full-back Pedro Lima.

The 17-year-old defender has a €12 million release clause and was watched by Manchester City scout Audrio Magalhães in the Brazilian Campeonato Pernambucano final last month, according to a Globo Esporte report relayed by Sport Witness.

The City scout is claimed to have been present in a ‘VIP box’ with Renato Guimarães, the agent of the teenager.

European interest in Lima was also confirmed by Sport chief João Marcelo Barros, who said: “There’s nothing very new there. Scouts from all over the world have been watching him. Maybe the news won’t get out, but a lot of scouts have come from abroad this year.”

Manchester City have faced competition from a series of Premier League and European heavyweights in the past for the signature of South America’s hottest prospects, with the potential for Lima to spark another bidding war.