Real Madrid have ‘cooled’ their interest in signing River Plate’s Exequiel Palacios and will not sign the midfielder this month, say reports.
TyC Sports say the player’s agent Renatio Corsi has been told directly by Los Blancos that there is no imminent move for the highly-rated midfielder.
Palacios was previously said to be on the verge of signing a five-and-a-half year deal with Los Blancos, with his contract containing a €20m release clause.
Earlier this month, the 20-year-old told reporters that his ‘head is always with River’ in an apparent acknowledgment that the deal was now unlikely.
Palacios made his debut for River as a 16-year-old and has recently won two international caps for Argentina, attracting interest from both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have also been linked with the midfielder which is said to have speeded up Madrid’s pursuit of the deal.
The central midfielder has made just 51 first-team appearances for River although 24 of those have arrived this year, including helping his club to the Copa Libertadores title.
Such a move would have represented a continuation of Madrid’s policy of signing young South American players with Brazilian teenagers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes captured this year.
