La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid are reportedly weighing up the prospect of signing 20-year-old Portuguese striker Henrique Araujo in the summer.
According to a report by Spanish publication MARCA, Henrique Araujo is the subject of interest from Real Madrid over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The 20-year-old Benfica striker has emerged as a potential alternative to Erling Haaland, who will join Manchester City this year.
Henrique Araujo is a product of the Benfica academy, with the promising young striker going from strength to strength in the Portuguese club’s youth setup in recent years. The youngster has predominantly played for Benfica B lately but has also earned his first-team bow in the ongoing season, making five appearances for the senior side.
The 20-year-old has produced returns of 17 goals and five assists in 33 outings thus far this term, including a hat-trick in the UEFA Youth League final against Red Bull Salzburg last month. Araujo’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, setting their sights on him.
Real Madrid will delve into the market for a striker in the summer transfer window, as Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz face uncertain futures at the Santiago Bernabeu. While Jovic is linked with several clubs in Germany and Italy, Mariano has recently popped up on the radar of Fenerbahce and could move to Turkey ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Real Madrid’s initial plan was to sign Erling Haaland as a long-term successor for Karim Benzema. But the Norwegian international will join Manchester City after the Premier League champions reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund over a summer transfer. The Spanish giants have thus had to set their sights on alternatives, with Araujo emerging as a viable target.
The 20-year-old has shown a lot of promise and has reportedly emerged on the radars of Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester City. But reports have also claimed that Benfica might not entertain the idea of selling the Portuguese striker amid Darwin Nunez’s links with several European bigwigs.
But Araujo is not the only young striker on Real Madrid’s radar, with Los Blancos also tracking the progress and situations of Youssoufa Moukoko, Endrick and Roko Simic. There are several other strikers on Real Madrid’s radar, but Araujo could be a solid investment who can take over from Benzema in the years to come.
