Real Madrid Reportedly Agree Deal for Exequiel Palacios Transfer
Exequiel Palacios will reportedly become a Real Madrid player after Los Blancos agreed a deal to sign the 20-year-old from River Plate.
TeleMadrid (via Diario Sport, h/t Football Espana) reported Palacios will move to the Spanish capital in 2019, with a five-year contract set to begin next summer. A deal would likely involve Real meeting the player's release clause worth €15 million.
If Real have wrapped up a deal ahead of next summer, it will represent a smooth resolution to what was threatening to become a contentious saga.
River president Rodolfo D'Onofrio had been less than impressed with Los Merengues' tactics, a feeling he made clear during a recent interview with Juan Castro of Marca: "It surprises us, if it is as it seems, that a stately institution like Real Madrid have acted in this negotiation directly with the football player, without respecting a club like River and behind our back."
However, Real have been heavily tipped to complete this deal for a while. TyC Sports (h/t Veronica Brunati of AS) reported last month a transfer will be wrapped up involving Palacios remaining in Argentina on loan for the rest of the season before officially joining Real next summer.
If this acquisition does go through, Real will have seen off the interest of La Liga rivals Barcelona and Serie A giants Inter Milan. Both were credited as suitors last month, according to Sport.
Adding a gifted young player to the ranks would be a welcome move for a Real side struggling for form in La Liga. The UEFA Champions League holders are sixth, have lost four matches and sacked Julen Lopetegui as manager.
Lopetegui paid the price for not being able to keep an aging squad fresh after primary goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus in the summer. Those struggles aside, there is a burgeoning core of young talent in the squad, headlined by 22-year-old winger Marco Asensio and 18-year-old Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior.
Asensio and Vinicius represent the future of Los Blancos' attack, but the duo will need quality supply from midfield. As a cultured playmaker with vision, technique and intelligence, Palacios has the potential to provide it.
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