Real Madrid to smash their transfer record with £60.5m swoop for Brazilian 17-year-old Reinier Jesus
Samba starlet, who they hope will follow in Vinicius Junior's footsteps, has also been linked with Liverpool
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REAL MADRID are preparing to smash their club record for a teenager to land Brazilian whizkid Reinier Jesus.
The Flamengo forward is only 17 and has previously been linked with Liverpool.
But he has now been targeted by the Spanish giants as a future key player in the new era led by returning coach Zinedine Zidane.
SunSport understands Real are ready to pay Reiner’s £60.5million buy-out at Flamengo.
That will blow away the £39.6million they paid the Samba club for 16-year-old forward Vinicius Junior last summer when he turned 18, but is still far short of the £162m PSG paid Monaco for a 19-year Kylian Mbappe last year.
WAITING GAME
Reinier, full name Reiner Jesus Carvalho, reaches the same age next January when he will be allowed to move.
The No10 has attracted interest from Europe’s top clubs for his displays at Flamengo’s Academy but it is Real who are in pole position to land him.
Fifa rules stop South American players under the age 18 moving to European clubs unless their parents have moved to the nation for other reasons.
That means Real need to wait to play Reinier, who has a contract with the Rio-based club until 2021.
FLAMENGO FRUSTRATION
Kleber Leite, former president of Flamengo, revealed his frustration last year that another one of the club’s talented prodigy’s was potentially set to be snatched away from them.
Discussing Liverpool’s interest, he said: “I received certain information that the English club, who were monitoring the young Flamengo and Brazilian midfielder Reinier, 16, have already started negotiations with the boy's family.
“Our young values are being erased prematurely, without even being able to write a page that is in the history of the Brazilian club that put them in the football world.”
The starlet has already been capped by his country at U17 level and the Galacticos hope he can make the same impact as his fellow countryman at the Bernabeu.
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Vinicius’ displays have forced him firmly in to the first-team fold in the Spanish capital and he has often been preferred in the starting XI to Gareth Bale.
The South American has made 28 appearances for Madrid and scored three times.
Madrid are next in action a week on Sunday when they host Huesca.
