Real Madrid have won the race to sign River Plate midfielder Exequiel Palacios, according to reports in the Spanish press.
Diario Sport cite a report in TeleMadrid that an agreement has been found between the clubs and the player, with a deal expected to take place in 2019.
Last week, River Plate president Rodolfo D'Onofrio accused Madrid of acting ‘dishonestly’ and ‘disrespectfully’ over their pursuit of the midfielder, who has also been linked to Barcelona.
The midfielder’s release clause is said to stand at €15m with Los Blancos agreeing a five-year contract which will commence in the summer of 2019.
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.
The central midfielder has made just 45 first-team appearances for River although 18 of those have arrived this year.
Such a move would represent a continuation of Madrid’s policy of signing young South American players with Brazilian teenagers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes captured this year.
