Real Madrid Transfer News: Lucas Lima Scouted, Fernando Llorente Talks Rumours

Real Madrid reportedly sent scouts to watch talented midfielder Lucas Lima play with Brazil against Peru in their 2018 World Cup qualifier, but the 25-year-old played just a handful of minutes in the 3-0 win.

According to AS (h/t Football Espana), Junior Calafat, one of Real's top scouts, met with former Blancos star Kaka before the match, which meant his trip wasn't entirely a waste. Real reportedly view Lima as a viable transfer target.

Here's what Calafat was hoping to see:

Lima is regarded as one of the top talents plying his trade in Brazil, leading the Santos midfield. He made headlines by scoring Brazil's equaliser against Argentina, and many expected he'd also play a big role against Peru.

That didn't happen, but the 25-year-old is still expected to be high on the radar of several European top clubs. His agent, Wagner Ribeiro, has previously hinted he could move to Europe, and Los Blancos have an excellent relationship with the representative, per Football Espana.

Andre Penner/Associated Press

Previous offers for Lima have proved fruitless, as Santos reportedly want €60 million for his services. A potential transfer would be complicated by the player's rights, which currently belong to three different parties.

Santos own just 10 percent, which would explain why they're holding out for a massive transfer fee. Khodor Soccer also own 10 percent, and the rest of his rights belong to sports group Doyen.

Fans may not be familiar with Lima, but the midfielder continues to impress regular followers of the Brazilian league. BrazilStats was hardly shocked when he scored the team's equaliser against the Albiceleste:

"

Lucas Lima has been Brazil's best player so far (yes he lost the ball once, for his bad luck in ARG's gol, but all BRA players lost balls).

— #FechadoComASeleção (@BrazilStats) November 14, 2015"

If Lima wants to become a regular in Brazil's starting XI, a move to Europe may be the best option. Real may not be an ideal destination, as Los Blancos already field a host of talented attacking midfielders, but Lima is an exceptionally talented player who shouldn't be afraid of such a challenge.

The transfer fee will remain an issue, however. Santos are not going to drop their asking price too much, knowing full well they'll only see a fraction of the eventual fee due to his rights belonging to two sports groups.

Fernando Llorente Talks Real Madrid Rumours

Miguel Angel Morenatti/Associated Press

Striker Fernando Llorente was widely linked with a move to the Bernabeu last summer before joining Sevilla from Juventus, and in a recent interview with Marca (h/t Football Espana), he said he doesn't know why the move fell through:

"

Madrid? I don't know. If I'd have gone there it would have been because something was meant to be.

In the end there can be a thousand reasons why things don't go that way.

The important thing is that I'm at Sevilla, that both the club and the fans, and especially Unai Emery, have loved me so much, and there is no doubt this was the best option for me.

"

Llorente became an afterthought in Turin due to the emergence of Alvaro Morata and the summer arrival of Mario Mandzukic, giving the Bianconeri two tall, powerful strikers with a similar skill set as the former Athletic Bilbao man.

With Jese Rodriguez still working his way back from injury and Morata in Turin, Real lacked forward depth behind Karim Benzema, and because Llorente wouldn't have required a transfer fee, it made sense Los Blancos had some interest in his services.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

But Llorente spent his final season in the Basque Country on the bench and didn't play much towards the end of his Juventus career, either, so he likely would have picked a destination where he would have had a real chance to start. Real couldn't offer that, with Benzema holding a tight grip on his spot in the starting XI.

Llorente has scored three goals in three La Liga starts so far, per WhoScored.com, but he's not been an automatic starter despite Kevin Gameiro's injury. And with Jese looking like he's back to his best after a lengthy absence due to an injury of his own, Real likely feel confident with their group of strikers moving forward.

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