Real Madrid and Barcelona plan to corner Brazilian transfer market

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid won the Champions League with four players signed straight from Brazil last season, and Clasico rivals Barcelona plan to take their lead in the coming transfer windows.

Real's era of buying Galacticos - Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Luis Figo et al - is largely over, with los Blancos now more likely to buy a player when he is still relatively unknown before turning them into a global star themselves.

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were cornerstones of last season's Champions League triumph, contributing 11 and seven goal-involvements each as Real were crowned European champions for a record-extending 14th time.

They were acquired a year apart in 2018 and 2019, from Flamengo and Santos respectively, and both spent time with Real Madrid Castilla, the club's reserve team, before making their full debuts after a year of development.

Also in the squad last season were long-time Brazil internationals Marcelo and Casemiro, who were plucked from Brazil and have since left - the latter joining Manchester United in an €80m deal this summer.

Clasico clubs scanning Brazilian market

"Real and Barcelona have a rich tradition with Brazilians, and both are scanning the market in search of exciting young players," report Forbes. "The man behind Madrid's operations is scout Juni Calafat, who also helped bring Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde to the Santiago Bernabeu.

"The result has been a much stronger Spanish team and an equally powerful impact on the Brazilian domestic game."

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Real and Barca clubs should be at a slight disadvantage in acquiring Selecao stars due to the fact that the Spanish tax man takes 15 per cent off the top of any transfer fee paid to Brazilian clubs, but scouting players ahead of their European competition can counteract that.

Two of the latest to be linked with a move to either side of the Clasico rivals are Joao Gomes and Endrick. Gomes recently extended his contract with Flamengo, while Endrick is not allowed to move until he turns 18 on 21 July 2024.