Madrid want to sign Flamengo starlet Reinier in Jan and put him in Castilla (AS)

Real Madrid are considering signing Reinier in January and putting him in Raúl's Castilla squad until the end of the season.

Real Madrid are considering signing Reinier Jesus once the Flamengo starlet turns 18 on 19 January, with Los Blancos thought to be ready to hand him a five or six-year deal.

Were Reinier to move to Madrid, he would spend the rest of the season with the LaLiga club's 'B' team, Castilla. Rather than paying the Brazilian's 35m-euro release clause, Madrid are keen to negotiate a fee of around 30m euros plus add-ons, with Flamengo open to such a deal.

One potential problem for the 13-time European champions was that they already had the maximum 22 players registered in the Castilla squad; however, Manu Hernando's loan switch to Racing Santander has now solved that issue, and enabled a swoop for Reinier to go ahead.

Speaking to AS in November, Reinier discussed the attentions of both Madrid and their city rivals Atlético, declaring: "It's an honour that they are looking at me." Indeed, Atlético reached an advanced stage in talks over a move, before cooling their interest.

Despite also receiving offers from clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, his dream is to continue his development in Spain. "It's a very competitive league," he told AS. "I love Spanish football because Brazilians settle in well there."

And a key factor in his desire to pull on the Real Madrid shirt is his eagerness to share a dressing room with Vinicius Júnior, who left Flamengo for the Bernabéu in summer 2018. "He's a top player and anyone would like to play alongside him," Reinier said.