Chelsea beaten to Brazil wonderkid transfer by Wolves as Cunha seals deal

17 June 2024 , 17:28

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Matheus Cunha has played his part in Wolves signing Pedro Lima from his hometown (Image: Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)

Wolves have beaten Chelsea to the signing of Brazilian teenager Pedro Lima... thanks to a helping hand from star striker Matheus Cunha.

The 17-year-old right-back, will join Wolves when he turns 18, on July 1 in a deal worth £8.4million.

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has been working for a number of weeks on a deal for the teen, but there had been fears that a move from Chelsea's parent company BlueCo, could scupper the deal. That prompted Cunha to make a number of phone calls to persuade the youngster - who hails from his home town - to make the move to Molineux.

And with Chelsea having been keen to send Lima to their French feeder club, Strasbourg, whereas Wolves are offering a pathway straight into their senior squad - meaning the possibility of Premier League football immediately - Lima has agreed a move to the West Midlands, with Sport Recife confirming a deal had been reached on Monday.

“Sport Club do Recife announces that it has signed a binding agreement to transfer the economic and federative rights of athlete Pedro Lima to Wolverhampton Wanderers, from England,” the club said in a statement.

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“The agreement is subject to customary conditions, including the athlete’s approval of medical examinations conducted by the English club.

“President Yuri Romao and the football management committee will detail the operation in a statement when all acts related to the business have been completed.”

Wolves top scorer last term, Cunha, took to social media to make his delight at the signing clear, declaring: “Born in the same city and now a teammate!

“I hope I can help you with your adaptation and see you delighting our fans! Welcome.”

Lima has played 30 times for Recife across all competitions so far in 2024, including eight appearances in Brazil's national second tier. He will join fellow Brazilians Cunha and Joao Gomes in the Wolves squad.

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Alex Richards