Patrick de Paula has been labelled as a potential successor to Fernandinho at Manchester City, but could also be transformed into a bullish centre-half in the future.
That is according to South American football expert Tim Vickery, who compared the Palmeiras midfielder to RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano thanks to their similar styles of play.
Brazilian outlet UOL have reported that City were in attendance at last week's Copa Libertadores final, which Palmeiras won thanks to a dramatic 99th-minute winner against rivals Santos.
City were said to have been in attendance in order to watch 21-year-old De Paula, who came off the bench in his side's victory.
Whilst a new midfielder or defender are not top of City's shopping list in the summer, with a new striker the main priority, De Paula is highly-rated and considered to be one of Brazil's brightest young prospects, with an £88m release clause in his contract.
Thirty-five-year-old Fernandinho is out of contract in the summer and Vickery believes De Paula could be viewed as a long-term replacement for his compatriot.
Similarly to Fernandinho, Vickery also predicted that De Paula, who has five goals in 37 appearances for Palmeiras, could also play in defence if needed.
"He’s destined (to play at the top)," Vickery told talkSPORT. "He’s quite tall, well-built, a left-footed central midfielder.
"Dayot Upamecano. I see De Paula in that mould, as a front-forward, aggressive centre-back who can come out and really play.
"I think he’s got real potential. You can imagine him from a City point of view being a long-term replacement for Fernandinho."
