Real Madrid have turned their attention to Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez after deciding that Jude Bellingham is destined for a move to the Premier League.
Fernandez, 21, has come off the bench in both World Cup games for his nation in Qatar so far and scored his first international goal in the win over Mexico on Saturday.
His 87th-minute strike made him the youngest player to score at a World Cup for Argentina since Lionel Messi in 2006.
And his performances for both club and country are drawing the interest of Europe’s top clubs, according to Marca.
The five-cap international has played in all 13 league matches for Benfica this season and has provided four goal contributions for his side, who are yet to lose in the Primeira Liga.
As a result of his impressive displays, the Eagles are said to have inflated their asking price for the midfielder to around £86million.
That is around 10 times the fee that River Plate received for the player last summer, but his quality in the middle of the park warrants a hefty sum.
There is expected to be a bidding war for the 5ft 10in anchor and Los Blancos will be hoping they can get a move done in the coming months.
In other news
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Reports from Sky Sports Germany suggest that Bayern Munich are continuing to work on a deal for Tottenham’s Harry Kane. The German champions believe they could pick up the England captain for around £70m.
Tottenham have asked Inter Milan about the availability of Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries, say 90min.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano believes that Manchester United will offer Marcus Rashford a new long-term deal in the coming months — the forward’s current contract expires in 2023.