In each of the past three summers, 12-time Brazilian champions Palmeiras have sanctioned a lucrative sale for a young, exciting forward player to one of Europe’s top clubs.First it was Endrick, their prodigious academy goalscorer who became the youngest player to appear for the senior team, drawing the attention of Real Madrid. Then came Estevao, the only teenager in the history of the Brazilian top flight to post 20 goal contributions in a single season, numbers that catapulted him straight into Chelsea’s Premier League side.The latest off the production line, a zippy winger Allan Elias, does not arrive at Manchester City boasting records like those who have gone before. But with 96 senior appearances to his name for one of South America’s strongest sides, aged 22, he has proven his reliability at that level.“Allan has racked up so many appearances for us because he is a very complete player,” says Joao Paulo Sampaio, youth academy co-ordinator at Palmeiras. “Our coaches and his team-mates know he can attack and defend, that he can play multiple different roles. He’s already played four or five different positions for the first team; in midfield, at left-back, a winger on either flank.“He loves to dribble, he hides his intentions really well with the ball and can go either way. He’s a strong player, so he’ll adjust well to the Premier League. He’s a total footballer, that’s what we call him.”Given his lack of output in the final third, City’s interest in Allan might have felt odd at first glance. But the flickers of Brazilian flair are there, while an impressive physical profile and sense of defensive tenacity make Allan an exciting, high-potential player who can adapt quickly and contribute as he develops at the club.Born in Florianopolis, around 700km (435 miles) south of Sao Paulo where he plays for Palmeiras, Allan’s journey to the Premier League has been marked by tragedy. In 2019, at a summer training camp at Flamengo, a deadly fire broke out and claimed the lives of 10 youth players. Allan escaped the blaze, caused by a short circuit in an air conditioning unit, but his closest friend from his hometown team of Figueirense, Vitor Isaias, did not make it out alive.“Allan was afraid of being left alone; he was deeply affected by the loss,” said his father Fabricio Elias in an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte. “So I handed in my notice and came here to be with him, leaving everything behind on a whim.”“They had lost everything, threw all of their stuff in a car and came to us at Palmeiras. The kid and his family are so courageous,” says Joao Paulo.“There’s another tragic story too. He lost his sister during the Covid-19 pandemic, so every time he scores a goal, he looks up at the sky and makes an ‘L’ shape with his fingers; that stands for Leticia, her name. They were very close, and he always pays tribute to her.”