Manchester City edge Manchester United in pursuit of teen prodigy dubbed “Haaland of Sertao”

Soccer Football – UEFA Champions League – Real Madrid v Manchester City – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – December 10, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

Manchester City are leading the race to sign young Bahia striker Dell. The 17-year-old has become one the world’s brightest prospects after claiming the Bronze boot (third top-scorer) at the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar with Brazil.

His style of play has drawn comparisons to Erling Haaland, with some in homeland dubbing the player the “Haaland of Sertao.” Dell has already made two senior appearances for Bahia.

Bahia is a part of City Football group, which gives Man City the edge over other potential suitors as reported by TeamTalk. City’s cross town rivals Manchester United are also keen on the youngster.

The teenager will be able to move to Europe next summer, and City are hoping to complete a deal before then to secure the player’s future. City scouts were reportedly well-versed on the player’s potential before the tournament in Qatar, and now hope to get a jump on the competition for his signature.

Dell’s performances impressed a number of clubs across Europe, and the player is reportedly open to moving next summer. Man City and the City Group’s hierarchy are reportedly discussing Dell’s future, with a possibility that the player moves to another club within the group before joining City.

Dell has scored seven goals in 11 appearances for the Bahia under-21 side, and seven goals in 14 appearances for Brazil’s Under-17s. He is regarded as on the best teenage strikers in the world.

City are understood to be on the market for a striker to deputize for Haaland who has scored almost half of the club’s Premier League goals this season. The club invested heavily to sign Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ryan Cherki, and Gianluigi Buffon this summer as they look to regain the Premier League title.

They haven’t signed a striker since signing Erling Haaland in 2022 however and are believed to be on the market for a young striker to learn behind the Norwegian. As it stands, only the teenage twin sons of former Premier League striker Emile Heskey are on the books at City as strikers behind Haaland.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.