Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers have joined Real Madrid and Rangers in the race to sign Spanish starlet Pablo Torre, as reported by Marca.
12 years ago, Real Madrid fought off competition from all corners of the continent to snap up an 18-year-old wonderkid from Racing Santander.
But, with such A-list talent as Mesut Ozil, Angel di Maria and Kaka ahead of him in the Bernebau pecking order, Sergio Canales lasted just one season in the Spanish capital, a grand total of 10 La Liga appearances all he would muster in that iconic Los Blancos kit.
Of course, Canales’ ill-fated spell at Real Madrid does not mean history is destined to repeat itself with Pablo Torre, another balletic 18-year-old rising through the ranks at Racing Santander.
But it feels pertinent to point out that Brahim Diaz, Martin Odegaard and Takefuso Kubo have all moved away from Madrid after growing frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities.
Canales is just one cautionary tale in a whole novel of reasons why joining Real Madrid, at the age of 18, might not be the best thing for Torre’s development.
Will Wolves beat Rangers and Real Madrid to Pablo Torre?
According to Marca, the silky Spain U21 star is also on the radar of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Real Sociedad and a number of Eredivisie clubs.
The Daily Record claim that Rangers have also sent scouts to watch Torre in action.
There is a £4 million release clause in his contract. But Rangers, Wolves and co could pick him up for a fraction of that fee due to Racing’s financial situation.
Interestingly, Wolves boss Bruno Lage played a major role in the rapid rise of another fresh-faced number ten in the Torre mould.
Joao Felix blossomed under Lage at Benfica, tasting Primeira Liga glory before joining Atletico Madrid for £106 million.
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