Luiz Benedetti: Palmeiras' giant defensive prodigy wanted by Barcelona, Arsenal and Napoli

Benedetti was born in Bauru, a large municipality located in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo - but more than 300km away from the world-renowned capital city.

He took his first steps towards becoming a professional footballer when he enrolled in a football academy at the age of five.

It was while playing for Ferroviaria in nearby Araraquara that caught the attention of Palmeiras, who signed Benedetti in 2022 when he was still only 15.

However, Benedetti was unusually tall and technically accomplished for his age, so he immediately stood out at one of the best academies in world football.

Even more importantly, he was left-footed, which is what made Abel Ferreira sit up and took notice.

The senior team coach had been searching for a left-footed centre-back for some time, so he decided to have a closer look at Benedetti after finding himself short on options in July of last year, with Luan having been sold, Murilo ruled out through injury, and Gustavo Gomez away on international duty with Paraguay.

Ferreira liked what he saw from Benedetti in training and even included him in his matchday squad for Brasileiro Serie A clashes with Gremio and Bahia.

Benedetti promptly returned to representing the Under-20s, whom he helped win the national title last September, but it was clear that it would only be a matter of time before Benedetti made his professional debut for Palmeiras.

Just five days before Reis completed his move to Manchester City, Benedetti emulated his former central defensive partner at under-age level by making his first appearance for Palmeiras at just 18 years old.

"It's a feeling of gratitude, a moment that rewards many of the things we went through in childhood, leaving family behind and everything else," Benedetti explained.

"It's an inexplicable feeling. I've played for the youth team at Allianz Parque, but the feeling of being there as a professional, with guys we've looked up to since childhood, is sensational.

"I thank God, the entire staff, and all my teammates who have helped me get here.

"Since I've been in the youth academy, I've had role models, like my friend and brother Vitor Reis. Doors open and you just try to follow the same path.

"Of course, it's different for everyone, but I believe that by working hard and following the example of these guys who came up through the youth academy before, I can earn many opportunities here in the professional ranks."

A week after making his debut, Benedetti made his first start for Palmeiras in an away game against Bauru-based Noroeste, meaning he got to play in front of many of his family and friends.

"It will be such an honour," he admitted beforehand. "God willing, everything will work out." And it did, with Benedetti showing no signs of nerves while playing all 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw in his hometown.

He's since played a further four full games at senior level for Palmeiras, as well as helping the Under-20s retain their Brazilian title.

"It was a very special season," he told Nosso Palestra. "This championship with the U-20s is the result of a lot of hard work and down to the strength of the group. We dedicated ourselves immensely, and I'm very happy to be a part of it.

"I'm also very focused on my professional development. Every opportunity I receive from Abel is a chance to show that I can contribute more."

The first thing one notices about Benedetti is obviously his height (1.97m/6ft 6ins). He usually towers over everyone else on the field. Indeed, when he first broke into the Palmeiras team, he immediately became the tallest outfield player in the squad. It, thus, won't come as much of a surprise to learn that he's strong in the air and a major threat at set-pieces.

However, while watching Benedetti in action, it quickly becomes clear why he's attracting so much interest, as he's incredibly comfortable on the ball for such a big guy.

He's got a terrific left foot and is never afraid to play the ball out from the back, either with short, precise passes into midfielders or measured long balls into the channels and open spaces for wingers and forwards to chase. 

While Benedetti definitely doesn't need to grow any more from a physical perspective, the feeling is that he could do with bulking up.

He's an undeniably imposing figure but he's still a little gangly, meaning he's not quite ready for some of the more robust centre-forwards in Brazil's top flight.

Of course, at 19, he's plenty of time to fill out, as well as improve his decision-making on the ball and positioning without it. When it comes to the latter, working on a regular basis with the likes of Gomez and Murilo is proving a big help.

"They're teaching me a lot," Benedetti recently revealed. "The professional team defends one way, and the youth team defends another, so [Gomez and Murilo] are passing on some of their experience, their positional sense and how to play with the professional team, and that gives me a lot of peace of mind and confidence to do my job and develop significantly alongside them."

Some observers have unsurprisingly compared Benedetti to Alessandro Bastoni, given he's a tall and classy centre-back blessed with a fantastic left foot.

However, the Brazilian isn't quite so accomplished that he's capable of playing further forward (not yet at least).

In fact, due to his height and aerial prowess, he actually looks more similar to Dan Burn. The Newcastle and England defender is a mountain of a man and, therefore, an absolute menace every time he enters the opposition area for a set-piece delivery, but he's also got the touch and technique to play as a left-back if need be.

Again, Benedetti doesn't yet possess that kind of versatility but, based on what we've seen so far, he could develop into a fine ball-playing centre-half.

Despite Benedetti's lack of experience at senior level, there's a very real chance that he'll leave Palmeiras during the January transfer window. In theory, there's no need to sell him so soon, as Benedetti signed a contract extension until 2029 earlier this year. 

However, as we saw with Reis, Palmeiras are always willing to cash in on academy product for the right price and the word is that they'd willing to get Benedetti leave for €15 million (£13m/$18m) - which would make him a potential bargain buy for Barcelona or Napoli. 

According to reports in Brazil, the Blaugrana's sporting director, Deco, is very keen on signing Benedetti and plans to add him to the club's B team before then integrating him into Hansi Flick's first team.

For now, though, the teenager is just concentrating on garnering more game time at Palmeiras. "Coach Abel always talks about being ready," he says, "and that's what I've been doing: preparing myself daily for when the opportunity arises."

Which is just as well, really, because Benedetti is likely to join Reis & Co. in Europe sooner rather than later.