Real Madrid Transfer News: Marco Reus Hunt Confirmed, Lucas Silva Fee Named

Real Madrid are already working on plans to land key players for the 2015-16 season, with Marco Reus and Lucas Silva chief among their thoughts.

Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti is said to have identified Reus and Silva as two of his primary targets, despite worries as to how he would fit them in.

Former Corinthians manager Tite appeared to let the Italian's plans slip during an interview with SportTV Brazil (h/t Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express): "Ancelotti told me he could sign him (Silva) and asked if he could play alongside (Luka) Modric or (Toni) Kroos because he said, 'My president will not sign defenders.' He also wants to sign Reus and was wondering where he could play him (Silva)."

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Alvaro De La Rosa of AS indicates "contact has been established" with Cruzeiro over the signing of Silva, who will set the European champions back around €15 million, according to the report.

Jamie Anderson of the Daily Express believes Chelsea have been quoted a "shockingly low" asking price of £12 million, which adds up with the valuation in De La Rosa's report.

Silva is an excellent midfield prospect who has racked up 25 Brazilian league appearances for Cruzeiro this year, per WhoScored.com. At just 21 years old, he could eventually replace Sami Khedira or Luka Modric, but a quick move and a lack of playing time may hamper his development.

Ancelotti is specifically in search of talented youngsters, according to Jose Felix Diaz of Marca. He is looking to "splash the cash to snap up the best prospects" and is said to be avidly hunting Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard once the player turns 16 next month.

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Madrid have already signed teenage Dutch forward Mink Peeters and are on the verge of confirming a deal to bring in Mallorca's Marco Asensio, per Diaz.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague provided B/R UK's Ryan Bailey with a rundown of the talented youth already at Madrid's academy:

The club will always be interested in the very best players, however, as noted in Tite's suggestion Madrid are looking at Reus.

Attraction to the Borussia Dortmund star may have slowed since the severity of his latest injury came to light—Reus is out until January with an ankle problem, per Reuters (via The Guardian)—so major funds could be spent elsewhere.

Jefferson outlines Reus as Ancelotti's "top target," but he also suggests Paul Pogba remains in the coach's thinking. The French midfielder recently penned a new five-year contract with Juventus and is unlikely to move anytime soon, though.

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Football writer Graham Hunter provided reason why Ancelotti doesn't need to alter his senior squad too readily:

Madrid often pull off at least one major signing every summer, so it could well be that interest in Reus isn't pursued until the end of the season. This way, the German has plenty of time to recover his form and fitness.

Ancelotti would certainly be smart to invest in youth. UEFA's Financial Fair Play restrictions continue to tighten in the coming years, meaning the value of homegrown prospects will increase. A lack of huge transfer sums could see the side break even without needing to cash in on a senior player and will help Madrid comply with the governing body's guidelines.