Real Madrid and Barcelona are both in the hunt to bring Flamengo and Brazil youngster Lucas Paqueta to Spain.
This is according to Don Balon, who note that the 21-year-old is a target for both the Blaugrana and Los Blancos, and that both Spanish giants are prepared to ‘bid hard’ in order to land the midfielder.
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The report from Don Balon also notes that Paqueta has a release clause of €50M, a price that seems a little much to pay for a player who is unproven outside of Brazil.
Diario Gol have noted that Lionel Messi wants to see the Catalan giants sign Paqueta, and if Messi thinks he’s good, then he must be some player!
Paqueta isn’t exactly a household name outside of Brazil, however if both Barca and Real want him, then he surely can’t be that bad!
The Brazilian has already managed to establish himself as a first team regular for Flamengo despite him being just 21.
The central midfielder has made 27 appearances in all competitions for Flamengo in 2018, with the player picking up six goals and four assists in that time, an impressive return for a midfielder.
If Real and Barca are both serious about Paqueta, it’ll be interesting to see which one of the Spanish giants is able to beat the other in the race to land the player’s signature in the near future.