Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all reportedly made contact with the representatives of Santos defender Kaiky, who has a €70 million release clause.
According to a report from Brazilian publication Gazeta Esportiva, Santos FC’s teenage defender Kaiky Fernandes is attracting a lot of interest from Europe, and in particular the Premier League, with bigwigs Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all in frequent contact with the representative of the 17-year-old.
Kaiky spent the early parts of his footballing journey at the Portuarios academy before signing up for Santos’ youth setup in 2013. Since then, the centre-back has gone on to make rapid strides, breaking into the club’s first-team setup this season and has already gone on to make 15 appearances as well, bagging a solitary goal in the process.
Kaiky’s rise to prominence over the past few months has earned him a lot of admirers with Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United being credited with an interest in the 17-year-old.
Arsenal’s interest in Kaiky came to light last month, with the Gunners said to have sought information about the teenage defender through scouts. The north London giants have ramped up their recruitment activity in South America ever since Edu became the club’s sporting director, and with Kaiky regarded as one of the finest young talents in Brazil currently, Arsenal are keen on swooping him away.
However, they will face competition from London rivals Chelsea. The Blues, for years, have been known for picking up young talents with potential from across the world. Unlike in the past when they would be sent out on endless loan spells before eventually being sold, the youngsters seemingly have a path into the first-team at Stamford Bridge and Kaiky could be groomed as one for the future along with summer recruit Xavier Mbuyamba.
As for Manchester United, the Red Devils have once again turned towards a youth-centred recruitment policy over the past year or so and have been strengthening the academy and reserve teams robustly, having signed a number of promising, young talents like Charlie McNeill, Willy Kambwala, Isak Hansen-Aaroen among others. And, Kaiky would be another youngster with promise that could be prepared for a first-team role in the seasons to come.
To that end, all of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have made contact with Kaiky’s representatives and have been in constant touch with them. The 17-year-old, who is also being courted by Ajax and Juventus, is contracted with Santos till the summer of 2023 and has a release clause worth €70 million. It remains to be seen whether any of the interested parties make a move for the young centre-back.
