Palmeiras forward Gabriel Jesus is reportedly at the centre of a transfer battle battle between La Liga giants and bitter rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The 19-year-old has scored nine goals in 13 appearances in all competitions this season, which in turn has helped grab the attention of several clubs from around Europe.
However, as reported by Marca, it’s Real and Barca who have emerged as the favourites to land his signature, although it remains to be seen who wins the race.
The Catalan giants look like they’ve moved to the front of the queue for the time being though, with director Raul Sanllehi attending Palmeiras’ last game to watch the youngster up close.
Nevertheless, Real remain prepared with a €24m offer which will be enough to exercise a clause in the striker’s contract to allow him to leave and discuss terms with another club.
Marca add that it’s unlikely to be a straight-forward transaction though, as with many Brazilian players, negotiations will have to take place with various agents given that the player’s rights are distributed out.
The teenager’s agent holds 55 per cent of his rights, Palmeiras own 30 per cent while the player himself has the remaining 15 per cent.
Should a move to the Spanish capital materialise this summer, then it will be the result of years of work by Los Blanco sas they have looked to identify the best talents in South America to fit into their transfer strategy moving forward.