Real Madrid have been linked with a lot of players in recent times, despite not making a lot of signings. One of the players that they seemed to have on their radar in the summer was Joao Gomes of Flamengo. The 21-year-old has impressed with his performances in Brazil and even went on to lift the Copa Libertadores, the biggest club competition in South American football.
On the other hand, Real Madrid had let Casemiro leave for Manchester United in the summer and it made sense for them to bring in another defensive midfielder.
There was interest from other clubs in the signature of Gomes as well, most notably from Liverpool. It was believed that Flamengo would look for a transfer fee in the region of €60 million.
Gomes still remains at Flamengo but is expected to be on the move in the near future. And it looks like a move to the Premier League is what he might prefer over others. As reported by Coluna do Fla, during a Q&A session on Instagram, the Brazilian midfielder revealed:
"“I dream of playing in several European leagues, but the Premier League is the one I watch the most and is the most competitive. My big dream is to play in the Premier League and I hope to achieve it. God willing, everything will be fine.”"
Real Madrid target dreams of playing in the Premier League
It will be very interesting to see if Real Madrid end up pursuing a move for Gomes or not. While there is no doubt about his talent, it is hard to see Los Blancos shell out a transfer fee close to €60 million to sign the defensive midfielder.
If the figure could be negotiated down to something in the range of €30-40 million, then a move for the Brazilian star would make a lot more sense.
A lot will depend on what kind of interest there is in his signature from Premier League clubs as well. Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked in the past. Let’s see what they decide to do moving forward.