‘The next Endrick’? Everything you need to know about Man Utd transfer target Thalys

Thalys-Palmeiras

South America is teeming with young talents right now and Manchester United have their eye on an upcoming Brazilian wonderkid.

The player in question is Thalys, a teenager currently playing for Brazilian outfit Palmeiras. He is already held in high regard in his native country and has even been dubbed as ‘the next Endrick’.

According to Calciomercato, United are among the clubs who are interested in signing the teenager. We’ve taken a closer look at the Brazilian youngster and have gathered everything you need to know.

Who is Thalys?

Born in Sao Miguel dos Campos, Thalys is a Brazilian prospect who is currently on the books at Palmeiras. While the youngster is still yet to make his senior debut for the club, he has garnered a huge reputation for himself in youth football.

He currently plays for the Palmeiras U20s and is highly thought of in his native country. Funnily enough, despite being dubbed as ‘the next Endrick’ he is actually one year older than his Brazilian counterpart.

Along with drawing comparisons to Endrick, the dynamic forward has also been compared to Rivaldo due to his similar play style.

What position does Thalys play?

Much like Endrick, he is versatile enough to play in a number of positions. In his early days at Palmeiras, Thalys was a midfielder, although he has since been pushed higher up the pitch due to his striking power.

The 18-year-old now predominately plays as a centre-forward although he can also operate as a second striker or right winger. He is naturally left-footed, although he is capable of finishing off either foot.

Standing at 1.84m, he is taller than Endrick and therefore would be a greater aerial threat in and around the box.

How much will Thalys cost?

According to Calciomercato, Palmeiras are looking for ‘no less than’ £34million for their latest prodigy. For context, Real Madrid paid a total package of around £60million to land Endrick from Palmeiras.

In regards to Thalys, he is under contract until 2026 meaning that the Brazilian club is in a strong position to dictate his market value.

Who else is interested in Thalys?

Unsurprisingly, United aren’t the only club who are interested. It was confirmed by AS that Palmeiras rejected an offer from Italy last January and plenty of top European sides are now sniffing around.

As confirmed by Calciomercato, the likes of Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona and PSG are also keeping tabs on the 18-year-old.

What has been said about Thalys?

“I believe that jumping to the Premier League immediately would be hasty,” Brazilian journalist Rogerio Amaral Junior told United in Focus.

“He doesn’t have any games as a professional for Palmeiras. He’s not an extra-class, like Endrick, but he’s a great player who has a lot of room for improvement. I think if he went now, he would have to be loaned to a smaller team to gain experience.

“In the youth categories, he is a striker who tends to be very regular but has never been tested under the pressure that is professional football.

“At Palmeiras, he also trains with the professional team but has not yet made his debut. It is likely that if he is not sold, he will make his professional debut this year.”

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