Manchester City Sign Allan Elias from Palmeiras for €40m

Manchester City have added another piece to their attacking future, sealing the signing of Brazilian winger Allan Elias from Palmeiras on a five-year contract.

The 22-year-old arrives as City's sixth summer recruit, with the Premier League champions agreeing a fee of around €40 million ($47 million) for a player widely regarded as one of the brightest products of Palmeiras' academy. He leaves the São Paulo club after 96 first-team appearances.

City’s Director of Football Hugo Viana made no attempt to play down the club’s expectations.

“Allan is a really exciting player, and we think he will be a big addition to the squad,” Viana said in a statement. “He has shown throughout his short career so far that he will fight to be the best he can be.”

The move continues a busy window for City, who have already brought in Elliot Anderson, Geronimo Rulli, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Jeremy Monga and Pierce Charles. Allan, though, carries a different kind of spotlight: a young Brazilian winger stepping into a club that has turned several of his compatriots into serial winners.

For Allan, born in Florianopolis, the scale of the step is clear.

“This is a surreal moment for me. Manchester City, with everything they have won over the past 15 years, are one of the most attractive clubs in the world for players,” he said. “To be able to sit here today and say I have joined them is the proudest moment of my life. I love Palmeiras and always will -- but the decision to come to City was an easy one.”

He knows the path he is trying to follow. Gabriel Jesus, Ederson and Fernandinho all arrived from Brazil and went on to lift Premier League titles in sky blue. Allan made it plain he wants to be mentioned in the same breath.

The winger said he hopes to be “another good Brazilian” in the Premier League. The stage is set; now he has to prove he belongs in that lineage.