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Real Madrid set to miss out on the capture of 15-year-old attacking prospect
According to the newspaper Ruhrnachrichten (h/t Diario AS), Borussia Dortmund are on the verge of securing the services of Ousmane Diallo, a 15-year-old Spanish talent who has been making waves in the youth departments with his blazing performances.
Currently plying his trade for Deportivo Alaves’ youth squads, Diallo was a target for Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have been monitoring his progress and wanted to incorporate him into the youth team this summer.
Apart from Real Madrid, even Bayern Munich were keen on securing the services of the teenage whizkid, who is regarded as one of the most promising talents born in 2007.
The Spanish talent factory has already produced a couple of players from the same age division in the form of Lamine Yamal and Jesus Fortea, whose capture last year has partly caused a rapid breakdown in relations between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Diallo is a left winger by trade. He is known for his speed and physicality, which makes him very difficult to shrug off the ball.
Knowing his talent and potential, Real Madrid were involved in the race to sign the youngster this summer. But it appears Borussia Dortmund have beaten them to the chase.
The German outfit plans to incorporate Diallo into their U19 squad this summer, thus giving him the opportunity to showcase his quality in German youth divisions, before he can eventually make a bigger leap.
Real Madrid do have an excellent relationship with Dortmund, though, which will be put to the test as the two clubs indulge in negotiations over the sale of Jude Bellingham.
Real Madrid are hoping to sign Bellingham on a reasonable deal, but Dortmund are likely to demand a hefty sum for the services of the young midfielder, who has taken the footballing world by storm with his aggression, maturity and leadership.
Real Madrid have restarted their campaign with a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga, which was followed by a narrow victory over Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. But the road is set to get tougher, especially as the reigning Spanish champions look to shift their focus on European competitions.
One of the biggest tests for Real Madrid in this second half of the season will be the Champions League Round of 16 clash against Liverpool.
Heading into the first-leg encounter at Anfield next month, however, Real Madrid have been handed a major boost as Virgil van Dijk, one of Liverpool’s most important players, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Regarded as the defensive leader for Liverpool, the Dutchman had picked up a knock and had to be substituted during the Reds’ game against Brentford. It was not thought to be a serious one initially.
But Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has revealed that van Dijk’s hamstring injury appears to be much ‘harsher’ and the defender has been ruled out for more than a month.
“Virg was a surprise for us, obviously, a big blow. He didn’t feel a lot. I took him off, actually, no risk. In the end, the diagnosis was pretty harsh, but we talk about weeks – more than a month. I hope it goes quickly, but for now, he is not available. That’s how it is,” said Klopp (h/t GOAL).
“For Virg, it’s harsh. He played an incredible amount of games over the last years. [Now] we cannot use him on the pitch at least. Off the pitch, we will do that,” the German added.
Van Dijk’s hamstring injury means he could face a race against time to be fit for Liverpool’s clash against Real Madrid, with the first leg to be played on February 21 at Anfield.
The Dutchman’s absence could be a major blow for a Liverpool defence that has leaked goals this season. Klopp, though, backed his other options to do well, adding, “We have other centre-halves, as long as that’s the case everything is OK for the team.”
