GOAL - Rubén Uría

Real Madrid are keeping track of Penarol teenager Facundo Pellistri and could swoop in with a bid for him, according to Goal.

The 18-year-old has been watched extensively by the Spanish side’s chief scout Juni Calafat, who also brought Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to their attention, and they are convinced he has the potential to become a star.

Valued at around €9 million (£8m/$10m), the winger signed a new deal in February which ties him to the Uruguayan outfit until 2022, and Madrid are aware they face strong competition for his signature.

Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Boca Juniors and Flamengo have all shown interest in Pellistri, while Wolves, Valencia and Napoli have also been named in recent reports.

But Madrid, having brought Fede Valverde to Madrid from Penarol in 2016, have a good relationship with the club and are confident there will be no problems when negotiations begin.

Pellistri broke into the Penarol senior side last August and quickly sealed his place in the starting XI. He has since made 25 appearances for the club and Madrid believe he is a spectacular talent due to his pace, work rate, confidence and the rapid progress he has made.

He has been praised by former Barcelona and Argentina star Juan Roman Riquelme, who said he “is quite a scoundrel in the way he plays, and that is very important.”

Currently playing under former Atletico Madrid and Uruguay striker Diego Forlan, Pellistri has been hailed as one of his country’s most promising players and has been tipped to make his national team debut in the near future.

“It is a dream [to be playing for Penarol], everything happened very quickly,” Pellistri said earlier this month.

“My family helped me a lot in my journey, I never lacked for anything. When I was a child I was sometimes tired and I didn't want to go to train, and they took me and that helped me a lot to get where I am now.

"It was very nice to extend my contract, to stay longer at Penarol, it was said that this contract was going to open the doors for more youth players, and that is very nice.”