Report: Real Madrid Will Sign Exequiel Palacios from River Plate in January

Real Madrid will reportedly sign River Plate midfielder Exequiel Palacios for €23 million in the January transfer window. 

According to TyC Sports (h/t Veronica Brunati at AS), Los Blancos will loan Palacios back to the Argentinian side for the rest of the season, and he will make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu in August 2019.

Real Madrid will offer the young midfielder, who has also attracted interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, a five-year deal with the Spanish giants, per Brunati.

Despite only turning 20 in October, Palacios is already an important figure for River Plate. He's a hard-working, versatile midfielder who is good on the ball and has already made his debut for Argentina.

EiF Soccer offered their view on the potential signing:

Palacios' agent, Renato Corsi, had said the club wanted to negotiate a new deal with the midfielder in order to raise his release clause, according to Sport. 

"Loads of intermediaries have contacted me but nothing is sealed. We sit down with River Plate because they want to raise his release clause to 30 million euros," he said. "We have had just one chat and not decided anything."

Football writer Peter Coates said River are still trying to get Palacios to extend his current deal:

Corsi has also denied contact with Real Madrid but said he has spoken with Inter Milan, per Radio El Mundo (h/t Football Italia):

"I received a call from Inter, but not Real Madrid. Recently Francescoli called to ask if I had spoken to Real Madrid about a potential deal, but nobody contacted me from Real.  

"However, I received a call from Inter Vice-President Javier Zanetti to let me know they were watching him and yes we remain in contact.

"I heard rumours about Barcelona too, but they have never contacted me. It’s worth noting that Palacios does not have an EU passport and cannot get hold of one.

"After the game against Gremio, we spoke to Francescoli about raising the release clause in his contract. I told Zanetti that the player won’t leave for the value of the clause, because we want to retain a good rapport with River."

Real Madrid have signed plenty of young stars in recent transfer windows. Vinicius Junior arrived in the summer and they have also agreed a deal for 17-year-old Rodrygo Goes with Santos.

Alvaro Odriozola and Dani Ceballos have also arrived but have found it difficult to secure game time in a strong squad at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have done a good job in bringing in some top young talent to the club, but they must ensure the players are managed effectively in order to fulfil their potential and succeed at the Spanish giants.