Chelsea Secures Deal for Brazilian Starlet Pedro Lima, Edging Out Real Madrid

Chelsea have secured a contract with Brazilian prodigy Pedro Lima, beating Real Madrid in the race to sign the 17-year-old right-back from Sport Recife.

Real Madrid had also shown strong interest in Lima, viewing him as a potential long-term successor for Dani Carvajal. However, Chelsea’s aggressive pursuit of top South American talents has brought Lima to an ‘advanced stage’ in their recruitment efforts.

Upon finalizing the deal, Lima is expected to join Strasbourg on loan. The French club, majority-owned by Todd Boehly’s consortium, previously hosted Chelsea youngsters Andrey Santos and Angelo on similar loan arrangements.

Lima’s manager, Renato Guimarães, confirmed to Globo Esporte that his client has agreed on a salary package with Chelsea, though some contractual clauses and bonuses are still being negotiated. Chelsea is set to pay an initial fee of £6.7 million for Lima.

“There has been progress in negotiations, but it has not yet closed,” Guimarães said. “The salary part has been agreed, but there are still some clauses in the contract to be defined, some bonuses.”

If the deal is finalized, Lima will join a growing list of Brazilian talents at Chelsea, including Estevao Willian, Angelo, and Deivid Washington. Last month, Chelsea agreed to a £29 million deal with Palmeiras for Willian, who will move to Stamford Bridge in 2025.

Chelsea’s first signing of the summer was Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham on a free transfer. The club is also considering a move for Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, with reports indicating the Argentina international is seeking more game time.

Atletico Madrid’s recent approach for Alvarez was rejected by Manchester City.