ˌɔn twˈɛnti ˈeɪt dʒˈænjuːˌɛɹi tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θˈɜːtiːn, dˈeɪz ˈæftɚ bˌiːɪŋ ɹᵻlˈiːst baɪ bᵻɾiz, nˈeɪlsən mˈuːvd tʊ ˈɪɾəliz jˈuː.ˈɛs. sˈɪɾæ di pˈælɚmˌoʊ, ɐɡɹˈiːɪŋ tʊ ɐ kˈɑːntɹækt ʌntˈɪl dʒˈuːn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈɪftiːn ænd ɹᵻdʒˈɔɪnɪŋ fˈɔːɹmɚ bˈɛnfɪkə tˈiːmeɪt fæbɹˈɪzɪˌoʊ mˈɪkɑːli.
On 28 January 2013, days after being released by Betis, Nélson moved to Italy's U.S. Città di Palermo, agreeing to a contract until June 2015 and rejoining former Benfica teammate Fabrizio Miccoli.