Barcelona and Real Madrid Reportedly Set for Transfer Battle over Rodrygo Goes

Real Madrid have reportedly entered the race to sign Santos forward Rodrygo Goes, who has also been heavily linked with Barcelona. 

According to Jose Felix Diaz of Marca, Real have informed both the Brazilian club and Rodrygo they are interested in him, although any move will have to wait until at least January, when he turns 18.

Diaz added Real are drafting in the help of lawyer Andre Cury, who facilitated Barca's purchase of Neymar from Santos in 2013, while both Los Blancos and the Blaugrana are likely to have to meet Rodrygo's €50 million (£44 million) release clause.  

A Brazilian youth international, Rodrygo has been on Barcelona's radar for some time, but Santos president Jose Carlos Peres recently said the Catalans cannot sign him until they have paid them money owed for the Neymar deal, per Globesporte (via Sam Marsden of ESPN.co.uk).

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The 17-year-old made his senior debut for Santos in November last year, soon after signing his first professional contract with the club.

In March this year he then became the youngest player ever to score in the Copa Libertadores when he found the net in a 3-1 defeat of Uruguayan outfit Club Nacional.

As a left-sided Brazilian forward impressing for Santos as a teenager, Rodrygo has inevitably drawn comparisons with Neymar.

He boasts many of the attributes that make the Paris Saint-Germain star such a threat—pace, quick feet, a clinical eye for goal—and all of them were on show as he netted a nine-minute hat-trick for Santos against Vitoria in the Brasileiro on Sunday.

It is no surprise that Spain's two biggest clubs are eager to sign him, but there are also likely to be other major European clubs interested.

Barcelona have looked front-runners for some time, but Real's interest could spark a long-running tussle for Rodrygo.