Arsenal were reportedly hoping to bring Reinier to the Emirates Stadium with the help of the Gunners technical director Edu.
Arsenal look set to miss out on Brazilian wonderkid Reinier, a report in Goal.com claiming that the Flamengo attacking midfielder is on the verge of joining Real Madrid.
The 17-year-old, widely considered one of the most talented prospects in world football, has been linked with a number of top clubs over the past year.
According to De Telegraaf, Real were joined in their interest by Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Barcelona, while Arsenal (Tuttomercatoweb) and Everton (Globo Esporte) are also said to have thrown their name in the hat.
A recent report in The Sun claimed that the influence of Edu – Arsenal’s technical director from Brazil – was appealing to Reinier.
However, Goal.com notes that the Bernabeu giants did business in recent years with Flamengo, snapping up Vinicius Junior, and also signing Santos prodigy Rodrygo while the pair had just a few senior appearances under their belts.
The report adds that Madrid hope to complete the signing this month, Reinier turning 18 – and therefore becoming eligible to move outside Brazil – on 19 January, before linking up with Real’s feeder team, Castilla, for the rest of the season.
It is also believed that Reinier – who scored six goals and claimed two assists in 14 Brazilian Serie A games last season, but was on the bench for both FIFA Club World Cup games – will be moving to the Bernabeu for a fee of €30million (£25.5million).
Reinier’s family are reportedly overseeing talks, the first meeting with the youngster’s team of agents having taken place on Friday, added the report.
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