FC Barcelona are keeping tabs on Eduardo Conceição as the Palmeiras teenager continues to attract interest from clubs across Europe.
The Barça scouting department was in Nyon, Switzerland, this week for the UEFA Friendship Cup, an under-18 competition that also features under-17 teams such as Brazil. According to Diario SPORT, Barcelona were particularly interested in getting another look at Conceição after following his progress for some time.
Brazil’s results in the tournament have been mixed: Conceição
scored in the 6-0 win over Canada in the opening group match, but Brazil then lost 3-1 to Spain before beating Ivory Coast 2-1. Brazil will face Colombia in the third-place match.
Conceição joined Palmeiras’ academy at nine and has spent much of his development playing above his age group. By April, Sports Illustrated reported that he had scored five times in 13 appearances for Palmeiras’ under-20 team, having previously scored 13 goals in 38 appearances for the under-17s during 2025.
Conceição is a right-footed winger who generally starts on the left, cuts inside and looks to take on defenders.
“On the field, I’m eager to dribble and help the team with goals, whether by scoring or assisting,” Conceição told AS earlier this year. “I’ve mostly played on the left wing, but I can also play more centrally.”
Several of Europe’s biggest clubs have been linked with him, including Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United, as well as Barcelona.
The BBC reported that United are keen on him, but that his price tag is a major factor. Several clubs are lining up to make their pitch. And Barcelona is certainly no exception, as they reportedly see Conceição as a major talent but have not made a firm move for him, with the player’s age still a factor. Earlier reports had also described Barça’s interest and said the player was waiting to see what happens.
Palmeiras have already protected themselves against losing Conceição cheaply by slapping a €100 million release clause onto his latest contract.
That figure is considerably higher than some of the numbers previously reported. Palmeiras academy director João Paulo Sampaio said in April that the club had received offers of €20 million and €25 million, excluding bonuses. Newcastle United reportedly made a bid of around €40 million, which also was rejected.
Endrick and Estêvão Willian are recent examples of Palmeiras academy products who have gone on to major European transfers.
Conceição has cited Endrick and Neymar as idols and compared himself to Estêvão.
“I love one-on-one situations, dribbling and outpacing my opponents,” he said. “I think my style is quite similar to Estêvão’s, even though he’s left-footed and I’m right-footed.”
He also named Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal when discussing players whose approach resembles his own.
“On a global level, Yamal is a player with a similar style to mine, always looking for individual plays.”
