Manchester City have been warned they will have to pay a premium to prise winger Allan away from Palmeiras, with the Brazilian club’s coach Abel Ferreira insisting the 22-year-old is not a talent they will part with on the cheap.
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Manchester City have been in the market for a wide attacker to replace Savinho, who completed an £85 million move to Tottenham Hotspur this week, and Palmeiras' Allan Elias has emerged as a leading candidate to fill the void.
The Brazilian carried a €100 million release clause within his contract at the Brazilian club, though Enzo Maresca's side have long been hopeful of striking a deal for less than half of that figure in the closing days of the window.
The signs from São Paulo, however, have suggested that City could face a battle to land their man at a preferred price, with fresh comments coming after the winger featured for Palmeiras in Sunday evening’s clash with Vasco da Gama.
Palmeiras and Manchester City have reached an agreement on a deal for 22-year-old winger Allan Elias, according to various reports.cityxtra.co.ukManchester City Agree Deal With Palmeiras to Sign Allan Elias
Palmeiras and Manchester City have reached an agreement on a deal for 22-year-old winger Allan Elias, according to various reports.
Ferreira: They’re going to have to pay
Speaking after the contest at the weekend, Abel Ferreira left little doubt as to the esteem in which the winger is held within Palmeiras - and the fee it would take to sign him - highlighting his own assessment of the player’s value, and name-checking Manchester City directly as he underlined a bargain is not on the table.
“These teams want a player like Allan because 90 per cent of wingers don’t do what he does, which is attack and defend. They’re going to have to pay. I know how Manchester City plays,” Ferreira said, before drawing a comparison with another coveted forward.
“At Chelsea, there’s a player named Pedro Neto: if they want to go after him, they’re going to have to pay 100 million euros.
“Top teams don’t buy half a player, they buy players who attack and defend,” he added.
“When one comes along who can track back the entire time, play right-back, slot into a back three out wide and drift in for rotations, everyone wants that kind of player. But you have to educate them, develop them and, if necessary, lose a few games along the way.”
However, despite the stance taken by the club's manager, Manchester City have ultimately reached an agreement with Palmeiras to sign Allan in a deal worth a fixed fee of €37.5 million plus a further €2.5 million in add-ons, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.
Why do Manchester City want Allan?
Abel Ferreira’s description reads almost like a checklist for the modern Manchester City wide player, and under Enzo Maresca, versatility and positional intelligence will remain prized attributes just like they were under his predecessor Pep Guardiola.
The Italian favours players comfortable inverting infield, covering multiple positions, and contributing at both ends of the pitch, and Ferreira certainly paints a picture of Allan Elias as a player who fits that bill perfectly.
The seemingly successful pursuit forms part of another hectic transfer window in east Manchester as City have also agreed a fee with Lille for midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, in a package reported to be worth in the region of £85 million - having earlier smashed their transfer record to sign Elliot Anderson for £116 million.
Lille and Manchester City have come to an agreement over a transfer for Ayyoub Bouaddi to the Etihad Stadium, it is being reported.cityxtra.co.ukMan City and Lille Reach Full Agreement on Ayyoub Bouaddi
Lille and Manchester City have come to an agreement over a transfer for Ayyoub Bouaddi to the Etihad Stadium, it is being reported.
With Savinho departing for North London and Jérémy Doku recently sidelined by a calf injury, adding depth and dynamism to the wide areas has now become a clear priority.
Now, Allan Elias will follow in former Palmeiras forward Gabriel Jesus' footsteps almost exactly a decade after that deal was confirmed. Jesus, of course, scored 95 times in more than 200 games in sky blue, and any similar goalscoring record would certainly make this one of the most successful Manchester City signings of recent times.