Arsenal and Manchester United tracking Brazilian wonderkid who is also on the shortlist of Barcelona

Arsenal and Manchester United are keeping tabs on 17-year-old starlet Rafael Belinho. The Brazilian attacker started his career at Vasco da Gama, and has made a splash in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb.

The player has just completed a move from Dinamo Zagreb to second tier side NK Kustosija and is now on the radar of several top European clubs. The Mirror has reported that Arsenal and United are amongst these clubs, alongside Barcelona who the player’s agent has a strong relationship with.

Belinho joined NK Kustosija after refusing to agree a long-term professional contract with Dinamo that would have kept him at the club for at least three years with the option of a further two. The player desires a move to Europe when he turns 18, something that NK Kustosija will reportedly allow him to do after a year of further development.

The player’s agent, agent Andy Bara, is also an investor at NK Kustosija and has already moved two of his other clients to Barcelona.

Barcelona sporting director Deco (pictured above) is a huge admirer of Belinho, and is reportedly keen to make the player the third of Bara’s clients to join. Deco has already traveled to Croatia to meet with the player.

Barcelona is not the only club that has spoken with the player, as Borussia Dortmund have also held discussions over a potential future transfer as well as a development plan. Several other clubs are expected to present their offers to the player in the coming months.

Arsenal and Man United are continuing to monitor Belinho’s progress closely. Brexit regulations would prevent the player from moving to the Premier League until next January when he turns 18, however English clubs can negotiate a pre-contract agreement in the meantime.

Both clubs are no strangers to agreeing to sign youngsters for future deals. Arsenal in December reached a double agreement with Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for the signings of twins Edwin and Holger Quintero, who will move to north London once they have turned 18.

Manchester United have signed Colombian talent Cristian Orozco from Fortaleza. Both will be looking to convince Belinho to join next.

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.

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