Real Madrid, Barcelona tracking 18-year-old talent dubbed the ‘new Mbappe’ | OneFootball

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are heavily invested in recruiting young talents and nurturing them into superstars and, more often than not, appear to be after the same players in the market.

Endrick, Arda Guler, and Pablo Torre are a few of the recent examples of players who were both courted by Real Madrid and Barça.

More recently, reports have emerged claiming that the La Liga behemoths are set to butt heads in the race for Brazilian defensive prodigy Vitor Reis.

Now, it appears that another young talent has caught the attention of the El Clasico rivals.

Real Madrid, Barcelona tracking Eli Junior Kroupi

Indeed, according to reports relayed by Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid and Barcelona are among a host of clubs tracking teenage French forward Eli Junior Kroupi.

Dubbed the ‘new Mbappe’ in some circles, the 18-year-old versatile attacker plies his trade for FC Lorient in the second division of French football.

On Real Madrid’s radars. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

Capable of playing as a centre-forward, on the left flank, and even as a central attacking midfielder, Eli Junior has netted nine goals from 40 senior appearances for Lorient – including five goals in 31 Ligue 1 matches before their relegation to Ligue 2.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are both understood to be tracking the 18-year-old, but the report adds that clubs from Italy are leading the chase for the forward.

Indeed, Juventus, AC Milan, and Napoli are all pushing to sign Eli Junior, whose contract with FC Lorient runs until the summer of 2026.

As things stand, there does not appear to be anything concrete as far as the interest from Real Madrid is concerned.

The Merengues replenished their frontline this past summer with the double-addition of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick.

And with the likes of Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, Arda Guler, and Brahim Diaz all present, it does appear unlikely that another attacker will be a priority at the moment.