Madrid: Real Madrid is about to add another Brazilian teenager to its squad.
After signing youngsters Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo in recent seasons, the Spanish club is close to bringing in 17-year-old Reinier from Brazilian club Flamengo. The transfer is expected to be completed in the coming days, according to Brazilian and Spanish media.
“Let’s wait and see what happens,” Reinier said while training with Brazil’s under-23 squad Sunday.
The pending transfer has dominated the news about Real Madrid, who are in a tight race for the Spanish league title. Madrid won 3-0 at Getafe Saturday to move level on points with Barcelona at the top of the standings at the half-way point.
Reinier, who will soon turn 18, is a creative attacking midfielder touted as one of the most promising youngsters in Brazilian soccer. He helped Flamengo win last year’s Brazilian League and the Copa Libertadores, South America’s most important club competition.
Flamengo is the same club where Vinícius Júnior played when he attracted Real Madrid’s attention as a teenager a few years ago. Reinier has so far scored six goals in 15 matches as a professional with the club.
Real Madrid reportedly paid about 45 million euros ($50 million) each for Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, and Brazilian media said they will pay nearly $35 million euros ($39 million) for Reinier.
Reinier, just like Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, has been a regular with Brazil’s youth squads since an early age.
““He has great potential,” Brazil left-back Filipe Luis, a former Atlético Madrid player who joined Flamengo last year, told Spanish sports daily ‘Marca’. “He always makes the right choices on the field.”
AP