Born in 1995, Victor Andrade turned 16 just last Friday and Santos have moved fast to secure the player to a three-year deal with the Paulista club.
Referred to by many as the ‘New Robinho’, Andrade is a forward player making waves in the Santos youth system and will most likely line-up in the Copa São Paulo youth tournament in January, as his next step on the road to senior football.
The youngster is treading a path well-worn in recent years, with the likes of Neymar and Ganso having come through the Santos youth system.
In the contract, the player’s economic rights will be divided between the club, who own 80% and the player’s family who retain 20% of the rights.
“Although we had offers from abroad, more profitable offers from that point of view, we opted for Santos,” said Jorge Nelson Santos, Victor’s father. “They offered a very good career path.”
A €50 million buy-out clause has been written into the contract for bids from foreign sides, bigger than even that of Neymar – which stands at €45 million. The domestic buy-out clause will be lower at €30 million, but is highly unlikely to ever be met.
Manchester City and Barcelona are known admirers, with the youngster having visited the English club when Robinho was based in the North-West of England.
However, with Monday’s announcement, it seems the top-scorer of the Santos Under-17 side will remain with the Peixe for some time yet.
