Why Man City should look at Lincoln as one for the future

According to claims from reputed journalist Vene Casagrande, Man City have launched €10 million bid for Brazilian starlet Lincoln, who currently plies his trade in his homeland with heavyweights Flamengo. 

The same report claims that the Citizens have recently made contact with the 18-year-old’s agent and they are keen to fork out some cash to acquire 80% of the player’s rights, although Flamengo are reluctant to lose the services of one of their bright emerging prospects. 

Born in Serra, Brazil, Lincoln rose through the youth ranks at Flamengo before making his senior professional bow for his boyhood club at the age of 16 in 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 victory over Corinthians. 

Lincoln made only 4 appearances across all competitions his debut season but he has enjoyed a lot more involvement over the past couple of campaigns.

The talented teenager, who is held in high regard by the coaching staff at Flamengo, has made a total of 39 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions, scoring thrice in the process, albeit most of them have come as cameos off the bench.

While those numbers might not look all that impressive, the 18-year-old has illustrated his prolific nature in front of goal for Brazil at U-17 and U-20 levels, earning rave reviews for his talent and potential from scouts of several elite European clubs. 

Very much a modern-day playmaking centre-forward in the making, Lincoln has showcased a level of maturity that belies his tender years, both in terms of positioning and finishing, whilst his ability to drop deep, link up the play and set up goals with killer through balls have also caught the eye. 

To put things into perspective, Lincoln looks like a real talent at this stage of his career, and despite his unimpressive numbers at Flamengo, Man City have every reason to look at him as one for the future.

Still only 18, the Brazilian starlet has plenty of scope for improvement and the Citizens could possibly have a gem on their hands in the years to come if he goes on to fulfil his promise. 

That he has burst on to the scene at Flamengo makes him all the more exciting a prospect to watch out for, given the club’s scintillating track record of blooding young talents. 

Lucas Paqueta and Vinicius Junior, who came through the youth ranks at the club, have been amongst the most lucrative imports to the European market in recent years and Lincoln might be the next in the queue to follow the footsteps of his predecessors. 

As well as spending heavily to build a formidable first-team, Man City have put a lot of emphasis on their youth recruitment drive in recent years, with the Citizens always on the lookout to unearth gems from far corners of the globe. 

Exciting prospects like Jadon Sancho, Rabbi Matondo and Brahim Diaz have slipped out of their grasp but they still have an envious pool of emerging stars in their youth ranks, something which is a must for any ambitious club in a top league. 

Pedro Porro and Ryotaro Meshino, who arrived at Man City in the summer, are both doing pretty well on their loan spells at Real Valladolid and Hearts respectively and Lincoln is also likely to be given a chance to hone his skills as a part of the club’s loan army should a move materialize in the near future. 

• More Man City News
• Why Manchester City should have signed Matthijs De Ligt
• Why Jonny Evans would be a smart fit at Manchester City
• Why Manchester City have to keep Raheem Sterling at all costs

All in all, the acquisition of Lincoln would definitely be a strong statement of intent from the reigning English champions and a step that could pay rich dividends in the future,