Spanish giants Real Madrid have targeted Flamengo midfielder Reinier and are prepared to bring the Brazilian sensation to Santiago Bernabeu this month.
Zinedine Zidane’s side is understood to have tracked the 17-year-old Brazilian who was benched in the FIFA Club World Cup final defeat to Liverpool. Reinier has scored six goals and registered two assists this season for the Brazilian side.
If he eventually joins Madrid, he would link up with the likes of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Marcelo and Casemiro at the Spanish capital and could play for the club’s B team or alternatively return to Flamengo on loan.
A report on ESPN claims that Los Blancos are lining up a €30m bid for Reinier in the January transfer window with a view of signing the teenager after he turns 18, in order to comply with FIFA’s rules regarding the signing of minors.
Reinier has a £25million release clause, a price which Los Blancos have been unable to reach thus far, placing a bid of £21m. The player’s contract stipulates that his buyout clause will rise to £29m in the summer and rise incrementally thereafter.
Although the club is not overly enthused about selling on of their top prospects, Flamengo will need to raise around €72m from player sales in order to keep to their 2020 budget, and have therefore come to terms with the imminent departure of Reinier.
Flamengo’s head coach, Jorge Jesus, has recently admitted that his player “is going to be sold to one of Europe’s big clubs for a multi-million-euro fee”, as a deal seemingly edging closer and closer.
