Arsenal are keeping tabs on a Cruzeiro midfielder who has not even made his professional debut yet, and the Brazilian club are reportedly asking for €40 million.
According to ESPN Brasil, the Gunners are monitoring Eduardo Pape, with Bayern Munich and Newcastle United also following the teenager. The report was picked up by now.arsenal.
It fits a busy picture at the Emirates. Andrea Berta’s recruitment team brought in Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes, Piero Hincapie and Ezri Konsa over the summer, but missed out on Vinícius Júnior, Bradley Barcola, Julian Alvarez and Morgan Rogers. RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa has been linked with a January move, and the interest in Alvarez, a deal Arteta personally chased in the summer, has not gone away either.
Arsenal won a first league title in 22 years last season before losing the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30. The squad is still being built to compete for the biggest honours, and this one looks more like a move for the future than a quick fix.
Why Arsenal are watching Eduardo Pape
ESPN Brasil reporter Felipe Silva named Pape among five Cruzeiro players who could be sold, alongside Kaio Jorge, Otavio, Arroyo and Jonathan Jesus.
Sport Witness reports that Arsenal and Newcastle are only monitoring him at this stage. There is also a hard limit on any deal: Pape turns 18 next March and cannot move to the UK before next summer. So whatever happens in January, he would not be pulling on a red shirt this season.
A Copinha winner likened to Busquets
Pape joined Cruzeiro from Azuriz-PR in January 2024, aged 14. Cruzeiro renewed his contract until January 2029 after he started for the side that won the Copinha, Brazil’s prestigious under-20 cup competition.
The Guardian included him in its list of the 60 top talents born in 2009 on October 6, describing his playing style as reminiscent of Sergio Busquets. That is quite a comparison for a midfielder still waiting for a senior bow.
He also captained Brazil at the 2026 South American Under-17 Championship, finishing as his country’s top scorer with four goals. Next up is the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, which runs from November 19 to December 13. Pape is in Brazil’s 21-man squad, and they are in Group I alongside Costa Rica, Ireland and Tanzania.
Eduardo Pape’s €40m price and the €100m release clause
His international release clause stands at €100 million, although Goal reports that Cruzeiro are seeking €40 million for his signature. The ownership is split, too: Cruzeiro hold 70% of Pape’s rights, while Azuriz retain a further 20%, according to Goal.
Bayern lead a long queue
Arsenal are far from alone. Goal, citing German newspaper tz, reports that Bayern watched him at an Under-18 tournament in Nyon, Switzerland. Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bournemouth and Monaco were also linked with him in the spring.
The Gunners are already juggling several targets for the window, including a €50m-rated Como centre-back, so Pape sits a little further down the to-do list for now.
Is Eduardo Pape worth the wait for Arsenal?
I like it as a long-term play. €40 million is a big number for a 17-year-old without a professional appearance, but the Busquets comparison, the Brazil armband and the Copinha medal suggest a player with a proper ceiling.
The catch is the competition. With Bayern Munich, Newcastle and half of Europe’s elite circling, Berta & Co will need to move early if they are serious, because the price is only going one way if Pape breaks into Cruzeiro’s first team.
