Man Utd eye move for Robinho’s son after year-long scouting mission

Manchester United are interested in signing Santos youngster Robinho Jr, the son of disgraced former Brazil international Robinho, according to local media.

Former Man City attacker Robinho, who came through at Santos, is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for his involvement in the gang rape of a woman in 2013.

While the 41-year-old is behind bars, his 17-year-old son, Robinho Jr, is making waves at Santos. A tricky winger, the teenager has already made 13 first-team appearances for the struggling Brazilian giant despite his youth.

In recent weeks, the youngster has increasingly been given minutes. Earlier this month, Robinho Jr set up Santos’ stoppage timer winner against Palmeiras in a 34-minute cameo for his first goal contribution at the senior level.

Robinho Jr and 19-year-old left-back Souza are Santos’ most promising prospects, and both have been attracting the attention of European clubs, with the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd associated with both.

Man Utd keeping tabs on Robinho Jr

According to Diario do Peixe, Man Utd, in particular, have been regularly scouting Robinho Jr for ‘about a year’ and ‘have not ruled out’ making a January offer for the winger, who will turn 18 in December.

Despite this, it is currently deemed unlikely that Man Utd will act on their interest already in the winter because the 17-year-old has only been playing senior football for a few months.

It is asserted that it would be difficult to reach an agreement, although the publication echoes the reporting of other Brazilian outlets that Santos may have to cash in on some homegrown talent after the 2025 season in order to balance the books.

Robinho Jr signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2024, and this deal contains a sizeable €50 million release clause. It seems unlikely that any suitor would be willing to pay that much for him at this stage.

Interest is growing, though, with clubs in Italy, Spain and Turkey also keeping tabs on Robinho Jr. For now, however, he is still simply ‘a promising player with great potential.’

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