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Sergio Reguilon passnotes: Who is the defender that has been named as LaLiga's best left back?

  /  autty

No one will be doubting why some of Europe's biggest clubs are chasing Real Madrid full-back Sergio Reguilon this summer following his scintillating solo goal in the Europa League on Thursday.

The likes of Chelsea and Everton have been touted to make a move for the 23-year-old, who has caught the eye of scouts after impressing during his loan spell with Sevilla this campaign.

He was widely voted as the best left back in LaLiga for his season-long stint and Reguilon's consistency in both defence and attack also helped the Andalusian club secure Champions League football.

Reguilon may find himself featuring regularly in that competition in the future should he be enticed by a move to the Premier League - and here, Sportsmail takes a closer look at the man in demand.

Who is he?

Another product of Real Madrid's esteemed youth academy, Reguilon is a talented and dynamic full-back. The 23-year-old has rightly earned plenty of praise for his impressive loan stint with Sevilla this season, having been forced to wait for first-team opportunities to arise at the Bernabeu.

Reguilon joined the youth system at Real as an eight-year-old, where he spent 10 years progressing through its various levels and age groups. When he reached 18, the starlet was sent out on his first loan move to Segunda Division B club UD Logrones.

He was sparingly fielded for the third tier outfit, and returned to his parent team just a few months later. A year later, however, Reguilon was once again shipped out to Logrones. He quickly became a regular starter and even netted eight goals during the campaign.

After being recalled to Castilla at the end of the loan, Reguilon became the preferred left back under Santiago Solari - who would later become the first team's manager. Julen Lopetegui, who was in charge at the time, duly promoted the talent into the senior set up.

His professional debut for Real came in October 2018, although it ended in a 1-0 defeat at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. Reguilon was then handed his maiden league appearance against Real Valladolid the next month.

The player also appears fully focused on representing Real for the foreseeable future.

When asked whether he believes he can fight to become a regular performer with the newly crowned LaLiga champions, Reguilon said: 'Yes, of course. I want to, and I am very excited to continue defending the club of my life.

'I live in Madrid, I have everything here at Madrid and I don't have my mind set anywhere else other than wearing the white shirt [next season].'

Who wants him?

Everton have reportedly already submitted an £18million offer for Reguilon, but Chelsea are also likely to rival them for his signature.

Among the interested parties are his current club Sevilla, who will unsurprisingly be open to keeping the full-back on loan with them for another season. Manchester United, Tottenham and Inter Milan have also made enquiries about the player this summer, according to ESPN.

All clubs appear to be hopeful of strengthening their defensive ranks over the coming weeks, although it will likely be Everton and Chelsea who are in greater need than some of their rivals.

Leighton Baines retired at Goodison Park at the end of the season following his 13-year stint, leaving Lucas Digne as their only experienced alternative at left back. Bringing Reguilon in would provide superb competition for that spot.

Frank Lampard has also identified signing a left back as a priority. Both Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri have failed to stake a claim to become the undisputed first choice, and Chelsea have openly attempted to bring in reinforcements for that area.

Their attempts to sign Ben Chilwell from Leicester have proved fruitless so far, and snapping up Reguilon may prove a cheaper and more shrewd choice.

Madrid are believed to have placed a £22m price tag on him, making any potential deal an affordable one in comparison to Chilwell, who is valued closer to £80m.

What has his form been like on loan at Sevilla?

Reguilon has impressed with Sevilla this term due to his consistency and evident abilities at both ends of the field.

He scored two goals and registered four assists across 31 LaLiga appearances for the high-flying Andalusians, proving his versatility for the interested clubs who thrive off having full-backs comfortable venturing forward.

But his defensive statistics also show he is equally adept in a deeper position or fending off counter-attacks. Reguilon made, on average, 1.8 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in LaLiga.

His reliability has proved an invaluable asset to Sevilla, although he does possess a tendency to lunge into rash challenges.

A superb 2.7 interceptions for Europa League games shows the full-back is also more than capable of making the step up for continental competitions.

His desire to take on his opponents was an integral part in Sevilla's attacks this season, and his ability on the ball allows him to perform this role with ease.

During the rare occasions he did squander possession, his lightning pace allowed him to spring back into position, something that is key for recovery in-game in the Premier League.

What has been said?

Bizarrely, Reguilon was labelled a 'simpleton' by an unnamed former team-mate from his loan spells with UD Logrones.

The anonymous player told Marca: 'When he arrived we laughed at him because he seemed like a bit of a simpleton.

'Now he sends us boots and tickets, after displacing the best left back [Marcelo] of the last decade.'

High praise indeed for the youngster, but Reguilon did indeed manage to overtake Marcelo in the pecking order as Real's primary left back before his short-term move to Sevilla.

Reguilon has taken it upon himself to remember his humble beginnings kicking around in the lower tiers of the Spanish football pyramid, another former team-mate has revealed.

'Instead of giving us coffee, yoghurts and biscuits like everyone else, Sergio gave us good ham, prawns and a bit of wine. A gourmet – maybe that's why he's now at Madrid and the rest of us are in Segunda B,' the player also told Marca.

Let's talk about the goal scored on Thursday...

Wow, that wasn't a bad way to truly introduce yourself.

Sevilla eased past Roma in the Europa League on Thursday night to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash with Wolves... and they had Reguilon to thank for breaking the deadlock in spectacular style.

The full-back collected a raking cross-field pass from Ever Banega before hurtling towards the Roma backline.

He dazzled and jinked beyond Gianluci Mancini before letting loose a powerful strike.

In truth, stopper Pau Lopez should have fielded the effort better but Reguilon's spectacular solo run alone merited a goal.

It is that sort of daring and cutting edge that may well secure him a high-profile switch to England over the coming weeks.