Real Madrid Transfer News: Juan Quintero Contacted in Latest Rumours
Real Madrid have reportedly contacted River Plate midfielder Juan Quintero following a pair of impressive performances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with manager Julen Lopetegui seemingly seeking a reunion with his former star.
Lopetegui previously worked with Quintero, 25, at Porto—who are still his parent club—and David F. Sanchidrian of AS wrote that Los Blancos' new chief has sounded out the maestro, who is on loan in Argentina until 2019.
Quintero started in his side's opening World Cup matches against Japan and Poland, scoring against the former and recording an assist against the latter to mark himself out as one of Colombia's key men in Russia.
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It was after the 2014 World Cup that Real purchased another technical Colombian talent, James Rodriguez, and AS noted the history shared by the two:
The slight irony of the interest—given Rodriguez was sent on a two-year loan to BayernMunich last season after a few difficult terms in Madrid—wasn't lost on The Spanish Football Podcast:
Quintero was once regarded as one of the best rising talents in South America. He was signed by Porto from Pescara in 2013 to replace his compatriot Rodriguez, who departed for AS Monaco the same summer.
The playmaker has been through a patchier period since and spent time on loan with Rennes and Independiente with moderate success, before joining River Plate in January on a one-year temporary deal.
Colombia football writer Simon Edwards provided a brief breakdown of arguably the biggest attribute Quintero could bring to Spain's capital:
He's scored once in 15 appearances for River Plate this year but matched that tally in 39 minutes at the World Cup, as he equalised against Japan before his team fell to a 2-1 opening defeat after Colombia were reduced to 10 men early on.
ESPN FC called Quintero Colombia's best player at the World Cup so far and one of the best in the contest overall. It's a sign of how he's taken to showing his best on the biggest stage, shrugging off any form inconsistencies that came before.
Lopetegui could continue Real's trend in using the World Cup as a pool for recruitment, and he'll look to a familiar face who's struggled for form in his career but could be a major addition if helped to realise his potential.
