Barcelona to Negotiate First Option Transfer Over Brazilian Wonderkid Pedrinho
By Ben Carter
In football's never-ending search for "the next (enter world class player's name here)", Barcelona are looking to secure the first option to buy in regards to the sale of 19-year-old Brazilian forward Pedrinho.
Barcelona and Brazilian side Corinthians are believed to have reached an agreement over the future sale of Pedrinho, according to Brazilian website UOL (via Sport).
The player will be allowed to leave Corinthians in either 2018 or 2019 for a fee believed to be in the region of €15m.
The 19-year-old already has a staggering €50m release clause written into his contract and fears over a potential bidding war in the future have persuaded Barcelona to enter negotiations with Corinthians early.
Pedrinho, who already has first team experience with Corinthians, has a difficult obstacle to overcome in any potential transfer away from the club. 70% of the young Brazilian's financial rights are owned by his club, whereas the remaining 30% is owned by businessman Will Dantas.
Pedrinho could become another one of the Brazilian leagues young stars to move to Europe at an early age. It was reported in May 2017 that Barcelona's rivals Real Madrid had secured the signature of 16-year-old Flamengo star Vinícius Júnior for a fee in the region of £38m.