Real Madrid's Three Man Shortlist To Replace Cristiano Ronaldo
sportbible.com Oct 30, 2017 12:13 PM
Cristiano Ronaldo won't be around at Real Madrid forever and reports claim Florentino Perez is already eyeing up the heir to his throne at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The four-time Ballon d'Or winner, who scooped the FIFA Best Men's Player award last week, has broken all sorts of records since his £80 million move to the Spanish capital in 2009, scoring 413 goals in 405 appearances.
To quote Vince McMahon, there's pretty much "no chance in hell" that Los Blancos find a suitable successor who could feasibly achieve what Ronaldo has done at Real, but they are on the hunt for a replacement anyway, with Diario Gol, via The Mirror reporting that they have drawn up a three-man shortlist.
However, surprisingly there aren't really any household names. The likes of Paulo Dybala, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford have all been linked, but instead it's believed that Perez wants a "rough diamond" that can potentially grow into a polished gem - and so three relatively unknown quantities make up the list.
The most well-known on the list is 20-year old Goncalo Guedes. The Portugal international, who became the first 18-year old to turn out for the national team since Ronaldo when he made his debut against Russia in 2015, is a Benfica youth product and signed for Paris Saint-Germain for €30 million in January.
He's been loaned out to Valencia this season and has been in excellent form for Marcelino's high-flying Los Che side, scoring three goals and chipping in with five assists for the second-best team in Spain. With his recent displays, it's difficult to see PSG selling hin,
Moreover, Real are also keeping tabs on two Brazilian prospects: 18-year-old Lincoln and 17-year-old Alan Souza.
The former plies his trade with Gremio in his homeland, while the latter, who reportedly has a verbal agreement to join Madrid, plays for Palmeiras.
Both attacking players are among the most impressive young talents emerging from Brazil and Real have already proved they have no problem splashing the cash on young Samba stars with their big-money capture of 17-year old Vinícius Júnior from Flamengo.
