Madrid, Dec 25 England champions Liverpool have beaten Real Madrid in the race to sign a young South American footballer named Gabriel Mec, who is touted to be the 'new Vinicius', according to a new report in the Brazilian media.
According to reports, Liverpool are on the verge of sealing the services of Mec in a deal worth €15 million. Currently plying his trade for Brazilian side Gremio, Mec is not a traditional winger like Vinicius. However, he is an explosive attacker who is capable of breaking down the lines in the final third.
At just 17, Mec has already shown immense potential and has been compared to stars like Vinicius, whose future at the Santiago Bernabeu remains uncertain.
Over the years, Real Madrid have been very successful in grabbing teenage stars from South America, having picked up talents such as Vinicius Jr., Franco Mastantuono, Rodrygo, and Endrick in recent years.
But this time, they suffered a setback as they were beaten by Liverpool in the race to sign Gabriel Mec, the young attacker being labelled as the ‘new Vinicius’.
In recent years, Real Madrid have failed to sign talented footballers from Brazil and have missed two such prodigies -- Estevao and Vitor Reis.
One of the reasons for Real Madrid losing out to Liverpool is the fact that Premier League clubs have grown wealthier in the last few years, and therefore, clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are finding it increasingly difficult to land unproven South American talents, who are fetching hefty valuations in the market.
Born in Campos dos Goytacazes, Mec has been at Grêmio since he was 9 years old. He caught the attention of international football, in August 2024 when Chelsea made an offer of 24 million euros. However, Mec, who is managed by Neymar's father (Neymar Sr.), renewed his contract with Gremio until the end of 2026. But the latest offers may be more tempting for the player and his club may not like to cash it out instead of holding on to him.
--IANS
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