Real Madrid make ‘completely ridiculous offer’ for Arsenal target

Robin Bairner

• 24 Nov 2023 07:20 CST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid have made the first move in an attempt to sign Marcos Leonardo from Santos.

FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that Los Blancos carry an interest in the forward earlier in November and then lifted the lid on Arsenal’s desire to sign the 20-year-old.

It is Real Madrid who have made the first move for Marcos Leonardo, who has been dubbed the 'new Neymar'.

According to Spanish media, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have made first contact with Santos over the possibility of a transfer and they are even willing to put €20 million on the table to sign the Brazil U20 international.

Fichajes describes this sum as a “completely ridiculous amount”, perhaps because of the outstanding scoring record with Santos this season.

He has netted 21 goals across all competitions, including 13 in 27 outings in Brazil’s Serie A.

Brazil's next attacking star

Marcos Leonardo’s goal-scoring exploits have not gone unnoticed by some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with his eye for the net attracting Arsenal’s interest as Mikel Arteta’s side seek a prolific centre-forward.

Similarly, Real Madrid are without an heir to Karim Benzema’s No.9 jersey at the Bernabeu, with Joselu acting as a stop-gap replacement.

Los Blancos have become a team that targets burgeoning young talent and have already moved to secure the signatures of Vini Jr and Rodrygo Goes from Brazilian football in recent years, while the prodigious Endrick will be on his way imminently.

Marcos Leonardo, meanwhile, is thought to be one of the jewels of the Brasileirao.

Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) explained

Our Player Valuation Model calculates an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for more than 240.000 players in the world.

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Our Player Valuation Model calculates an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for more than 240.000 players in the world. It uses information on the player's skill, potential, performance, contract duration, position and other statistics to estimate an accurate ETV.

Read more here.

His expected transfer value is €11 million, according to FootballTransfers’ Player Valuation Model, but this figure has risen as high as €23.2m for the attacker in the past.

Although he has a contract that runs until 2026 with Santos, he appears destined to be on the move well before then.

Real Madrid have made their play, now it is time to see if Arsenal respond.

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