Real Madrid News
Real Madrid scout Barcelona, PSG, Chelsea target with €100 million release clause
Having just announced the capture of Endrick from Palmeiras, Real Madrid have seemingly turned their attention towards another prized jewel from Brazil in the form of Vitor Roque.
Indeed, according to GE Globo, Real Madrid have sent scouts to keep an eye on the 17-year-old Athletico Paranaense striker, who has a massive release clause worth €100 million. However, the teenage forward is also on the radars of Barcelona, Chelsea, and PSG.
It must be noted that these exact clubs were competing for the signing of Endrick. However, Barça could not compete in the race due to their financial issues while Chelsea and PSG could not turn the youngster’s head despite their best attempts.
But, it seems like all four teams are now set to go to war again for the signing of Vitor Roque.
The 17-year-old arrived at Athletico Paranaense from Cruzeiro earlier this year, in a deal worth around €4.4 million, which made him the club’s all-time record signing.
Since joining, he has made 36 appearances, scoring seven goals and setting up three more, helping them progress to the Copa Libertadores finals.
Vitor Roque is contracted with Athletico until the summer of 2027 and has a massive release clause worth €100 million. Given that he will be turning 18 in February next year, interested clubs would be able to land him next summer.
With Karim Benzema in the final phase of his career, Real Madrid have seemingly earmarked Endrick as the long-term No. 9 at the club. Having someone like Vitor Roque compete for the slot would be beneficial for the Spanish capital club in the longer run.
But given that the likes of PSG, Chelsea, and Barcelona missed out on Endrick, they will be gunning to beat Real Madrid to sign Roque.
The teenager has previously admitted to idolising Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo and has spoken of securing a ‘dream transfer’ to Europe. Whether it will be to the Santiago Bernabeu or a different destination remains to be seen.
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
