Barcelona have reportedly moved ahead of Real Madrid and Manchester City in the race to sign emerging young Sao Paulo centre-back Lucas Beraldo.
According to Brazilian journalist Alexsander Vieira, Barcelona are on the verge of making a significant move to secure the services of Brazilian defensive sensation Lucas Beraldo, who is also a subject of interest from Manchester City, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Beraldo has been one of the standout young defenders in Brazil since breaking into Sao Paulo’s team in 2022. He has quickly established himself as an important first-team player for the Brazilian giants and has already made 42 senior appearances since making his debut in May last year.
This season, the 19-year-old has made 32 appearances, including 14 Brasileiro starts and seven outings in the Copa Sudamericana. He was also an integral player in Sao Paulo’s recent Copa do Brasil triumph, starting in the heart of their defence in both legs of the final clash against giants Flamengo and helping his side to a hard-fought 2-1 aggregate victory.
Needless to say, the Brazil Under-20 international’s impressive performances have not gone unnoticed in Europe, with his range of passing, ability to go past opponents to retain possession in their own defensive third, and passing in between the lines among his standout attributes.
Barcelona, for example, could be weighing up an offer for Beraldo. With Deco now in charge of Barcelona’s transfer dealings, there appears to be a greater emphasis on young, up-and-coming talents from Brazil, thanks to his expertise in the South American market.
Vitor Roque has already been signed, while Barcelona are also working on the potential acquisition of teenage midfield prodigy Gabriel Moscardo from Corinthians. Given that Barcelona currently have a multitude of centre-back options, it is doubtful that they will try to bring in Beraldo for the first team straightaway.
The Brazilian talent has a long-term contract with his current club until the summer of 2026, and Sao Paulo do not intend to sell the youngster for cheap. It is being reported that Beraldo has a €60 million release clause in his contract with Sao Paulo. But the Brazilian outfit could be willing to accept a €20 million fee to sanction his sale, which will make Beraldo the biggest sale of a defender in Brazilian football.
Whether Barcelona’s proposal hits that mark remains to be seen. But the Blaugrana could face stiff competition for the 19-year-old defender, who has garnered substantial interest from top clubs, including fierce divisional rivals Real Madrid.
Injuries have robbed Real Madrid of defensive stability at the start of the season. Not only the well-documented full-back positions are coming under scrutiny for lack of quality depth, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side could also benefit from another high-quality central defensive reinforcement, given that Eder Militao is out with a long-term injury and Antonio Rudiger is very error-prone.
Treble-winners Manchester City are also pursuing the talented youngster, as Pep Guardiola looks to secure a bright future for his side and will have the financial pull. The defender likely won’t be someone who goes straight into Guardiola’s first team but could be a great long-term investment. It is fair to say that Beraldo has ignited a fierce bidding war between top European clubs.
