CHELSEA are locking horns with Liverpool in a bid to poach Real Madrid’s chief scout Juni Calafat.
Blues boss Frank Lampard has been adamant that he wants to give the brightest youth prospects a chance at Stamford Bridge.
Real Madrid’s chief scout Juni Calafat in on Chelsea and Liverpool’s radarCredit: Twitter
And bringing in a scout of the stature of Calafat would fit in with this ethos.
The Brazilian is seen as a key cog in Real’s scouting network, having originally started out heading up their South American acquisitions.
He has brought in the likes of Fede Valverde, Martin Odegaard, Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Now The Telegraph is reporting that Chelsea, along with Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton “have been considering trying to poach” 45-year-old Calafat.
REINIER JESUS THE LATEST WONDERKID
The Spanish media have already coined the phrase the “Calafat Academy” in recognition of the outstanding work he is doing at the Bernabeu.
His most recent signing was highly-rated Reinier Jesus.
The 18-year-old was touted around Europe’s top clubs after helping Flamengo win the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian top flight last season.
He has penned a six-and-a-half-year deal with Zinedine Zidane’s side that expires on June 30 2026, and described the transfer as a “dream.”
The attacking midfielder is the third Brazilian teenager to join the Spanish giants in the past two years following Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Vinicius has been a regular for Zidane out wide this season making 24 appearances, but only managing three goals.
Rodrygo, meanwhile, has been deployed both on the wing and through the middle this term, playing 18 times for the first-team with seven goals.
Reinier Jesus is the latest gem discovered by Juni Calafat for Real MadridCredit: EPA
Frank Lampard insists Hakim Ziyech will be Chelsea’s key to unlock tight defences and admits he can play him in two positions
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
