Palmeiras has consolidated itself in recent years as one of the clubs with the best youth academy in all of South America. Not in vain, the São Paulo club has carried out one of the most expensive transfers in the history of the Brasileirão, selling Endrick to Real Madrid, and it is expected that players trained at the club like Luis Guilherme or Estevão will soon follow in his footsteps.
Once these pearls make the jump to Europe, the club led by Abel Ferreira will pave the way for the next generation of talent that is already making its mark in the club’s youth categories, and one of the names of the future is Wesley Lima de Souza, a versatile forward or second striker of just 16 years old who shines brightly and is called the “New Estevão”.
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Wesley Lima is coveted by Inter and Roma
Wesley Lima de Souza is a left-wing forward of just 16 years old born in Riachão, Maranhão, on January 22, 2008. Although there are no official records of his first link to the São Paulo club, it is believed that he has belonged to the youth categories of the club since 2021 and currently has a contract valid until 2026.
Although he is already beginning to have limited opportunities with Palmeiras’ first team, the club is slowly cooking his projection and it is expected that he will complete this 2024 in the Brasileirão U-20 category before being forced to make the definitive leap to the elite of Brazilian football.
In principle, Wesley Lima, who has been compared to another Palmeiras pearl, Estevão ‘Messinho’, from a very young age, is being closely followed by several teams from the elite of European football, having recently been linked with Italian clubs of the stature of AS Roma or Inter Milan.
At least for now, the club has not offered Wesley Lima a professional contract, but it is expected that when he renews, it will include a release clause that could be around 40/50 million euros, similar to the one imposed on Messinho’s contract.
