Here’s a roundup of the latest news and transfer rumors surrounding which players could be joining new teams in the coming months.
The most notable transfer news entering this week surrounds 16-year-old Vinicius Junior, who Brazilian source Globoesporte reports has been the subject of a successful €45 million bid from Real Madrid.
The European champions’ offer comes despite the youngster not having made a first-team appearance for Flamengo yet, evidencing just how bright of a prospect they believe him to be.
According to the report, Barcelona also made an effort for Vinicius Junior’s services, but their €25 million transfer bid and €7 million salary offer has been trumped by that of their La Liga rivals.
Vinicius Junior will remain at Flamengo until he turns 18 next summer, at which point he’ll be clear to make the big jump across the Atlantic.
The forward is fresh off leading Brazil to the South American U-17 Championship, where he was not only named the competition’s best player, but also led all participants with seven goals.
In 19 total appearances at that level, Vinicius Junior has already scored 17 times, leading many observers to deem him the next Neymar.
At 22 years old, Lazio’s Keita Balde is an elder statesman compared to Vinicius Junior, but that doesn’t make his breakout campaign any less impressive.
In fact, after scoring a goal and assisting another in Lazio’s resounding 7-3 over Sampdoria on Sunday, he now boasts 14 goals and three assists in 19 Serie A starts.
With six goals from his last three outings to boot, the former Barcelona academy member has garnered transfer interest from Sevilla, according to Sport.
The report goes as far as saying Balde has already agreed personal terms with Sevilla, leaving common ground on a transfer fee as the only requirement remaining to conclude a deal.
Another Barcelona product that’s catching fire elsewhere is Malaga’s Sandro Ramirez, who Everton boss Ronald Koeman travelled to watch play this weekend, the Daily Mail reports.
After seeing his team lose 1-0 to Swansea on Saturday, the Dutchman was spotted sitting with Sandro’s agent, Gines Carvajal, as the forward helped propel his team to a 3-0 victory over Celta Vigo on Sunday.
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Thanks to a strike during second-half stoppage time, the 21-year-old has now tallied seven goals in his last seven matches, bringing his total to 14 in his first season since leaving Barcelona.
Considering that production as well as his tender age, it’s no wonder Everton are interested in paying his reported £5.2 million release clause.
Elsewhere in Spain, Marca is now reporting that Theo Hernandez has passed a medical with Real Madrid, paving the way for Los Blancos to pay their inner-city rivals Atletico Madrid his €24 million release clause ahead of a transfer this summer.
The 19-year-old defender, who is currently on loan at Alaves, was linked with Barcelona last week, but Marca insists the Catalan club made no effort to secure his signature.
Incidentally, Real Madrid intend to announce their capture of Hernandez after he and Alaves take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final to end this month.
While Marcelo’s recent displays have only boosted his status in Real Madrid’s first-team setup, manager Zinedine Zidane has now addressed one his biggest priorities by inking a long-term alternative to the Brazilian.