Real Madrid are reportedly monitoring 21-year-old Portuguese starlet David Carmo as the club eyes defensive reinforcements in the summer transfer window.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid are keeping tabs on 21-year-old defender David Carmo, who plies his trade for Portuguese outfit, Sporting Braga.
Carmo has been with Braga since 2015, having joined their U-17 setup from Sanjoanense. The centre-back gradually rose through the ranks at the club before making his first-team debut in January last year. Since then, the 21-year-old has made 40 appearances in all competitions, 21 of which have come in the ongoing campaign.
Despite his young age, Carmo is a physical specimen, standing at 1.96m tall. And his rise to prominence at Braga over the past year has seen him attract plenty of interest from several clubs across Europe. Indeed, Serie A side AS Roma tried to sign him last summer but failed with a bid of €18 million.
This past January saw Premier League champions Liverpool make an attempt to land the Portuguese centre-back. However, a move failed to materialise as the two clubs weren’t able to come to an agreement over a transfer fee for the towering defender.
In addition, Liverpool’s arch-rivals Manchester United are also said to be interested in signing Carmo. And now, Real Madrid have also entered the fray to try and sign the Portuguese. The report claims that Los Blancos have extensively scouted the 21-year-old and have received glowing updates on the youngster.
After what has been a difficult season, Real Madrid will be in for a major rebuild come summer. Captain and icon Sergio Ramos is out of contract at the end of the season and could be on his way out. Furthermore, Raphael Varane is also seeking a new challenge in his career as per reports, leaving the Merengues sweating over their defensive options.
Should either of the two leave, it will be a major blow for Real Madrid. More so, considering the fact that Eder Militao has failed to make the kind of impact expected since arriving from FC Porto. And with Nacho also not getting any younger, signing a new centre-back will become a critical piece of business for the Spanish capital outfit.
While they are said to have reached a verbal agreement with David Alaba over a summer transfer, bringing in another talented young defender like Carmo would be a smart move, more so considering that he could be available for a transfer fee of around €25 million.
Furthermore, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has a good relationship with Braga chief Antonio Salvador which also gives the Spanish champions an advantage should a transfer race spark up for Carmo. It now remains to be seen if the Merengues do act on their interest in the 21-year-old come summer.
