Ceará have turned Pedro Esli’s stay at the club into a permanent one. The 19-year-old midfielder has signed from Comercial/SP until the end of 2028, Ceará announced on 24 August 2026.
It is confirmed business rather than transfer talk. Ceará say Esli had already been at the club since early 2025 and has built up experience in both their youth and senior squads.
Ceará confirm permanent deal
According to Ceará’s official report, Esli has joined permanently from Comercial/SP and is tied to the club through to the end of 2028.
The announcement settles his immediate club situation. There is no need to read between the lines here: Ceará have presented the move as a completed permanent signing.
The club did not provide further details in the material cited, including the financial terms of the agreement. So, while the length of the contract is clear, other parts of the deal remain undisclosed.
A player already known at the club
Esli is not arriving as a complete unknown. Ceará say he first came to the club in early 2025, giving him time to develop within their setup before this permanent move was finalised.
That matters because the midfielder has already been involved at two levels. He has appeared for the senior team as well as the Under-20 side, rather than only featuring in youth football.
Ceará’s announcement places his total at 15 appearances across those squads. That is a useful platform for a player still only 19, but it does not automatically define what his senior role will be from here.
Four senior Série B appearances
The official club report says Esli has made four appearances in Brazil’s Série B for Ceará’s senior side.
Those matches are the clearest indication that he has already stepped into the first-team environment. Série B is the senior league competition, so those outings go beyond academy football.
Still, Ceará have not said whether Esli is expected to become a regular starter, a squad option or to continue splitting his time between age groups. Those decisions will only become clearer through future team selections.
Under-20 campaign brought a final-place finish
At Under-20 level, Ceará say Esli played 11 matches, scoring one goal and supplying one assist.
The club also state that he was a runner-up in the 2026 Brasileirão Série B Sub-20. That campaign forms an important part of the context around the permanent deal, showing that his youth-team period included a strong collective run.
For now, though, the confirmed numbers remain straightforward: 11 Under-20 appearances, one goal and one assist. Anything beyond that, including projections about his ceiling or next role, would be speculation.
What Ceará have secured
The key outcome is that Ceará have secured Esli’s registration on a long-term basis through the end of 2028. For the player, it keeps him at the club where he has already gained senior and Under-20 experience.
For supporters, the next question is football-related rather than contractual: how often will he feature after the permanent move? Ceará’s report confirms the signing and his previous appearance record, but it does not set out a future playing plan.
Next confirmation will come on the pitch
Ceará’s announcement is the verifiable milestone. Esli is now a permanent Ceará player, with his contract running until the end of 2028.
The next concrete update will be a squad list or appearance that shows where he fits in after the deal. Until then, the confirmed story is a young midfielder earning a permanent place at the club after time in both its youth and senior sides.