Earlier this year, Sport Witness were able to report Manchester United scouts had been impressed with Palmeiras midfielder Alan Guimarães.
Club emissaries had been watching the U17 South American Championship, which Brazil won unbeaten, with Alan being the big name in the tournament.
Now the team is repeating the good campaign in the U17 World Cup in India, where they got to the quarterfinals by winning all the games so far.
Alan has been in the spotlight once again, so there was no chance that Manchester United could lead a lone race for the midfielder. A proof of it is AS on Friday, who bring Arsenal and Liverpool into the equation.
The Spanish newspaper claims that Real Madrid have already reached an agreement with the player, who should be joining the La Liga side after he turns 18.
They claim there’s a ‘verbal agreement’ with his agent Juan Figer, who would have started the talks at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this year.
According to the claims Real Madrid will be paying less than the player’s €50m release clause, although the negotiations with Palmeiras are not mentioned in the story.
Sources have told Sport Witness, however, that it’s too early to confirm a deal with Real Madrid. Even because a move wouldn’t be agreed during the tournament, with part of Alan’s staff in India and others in Brazil. The scenario is still seen as open, although these talks can’t be denied.
A reason for that is clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool have also been keeping an eye on the Brazilian U17 team, and with Alan impressing like this, there’s a chance they will want to join the race too. Manchester United, on the other hand, haven’t made contact for a while, and are being left behind for now.
