Atletico Madrid have advantage over Real Madrid in race for 17-year-old defensive target | OneFootball

One of the agendas on Real Madrid’s hectic transfer window planned for June is to beef up the centre-back position.

Having recovered Eder Militao from a long-term injury, Carlo Ancelotti can breathe a sigh of relief heading into the business end of the season.

Yet, it is clear that more depth is required in the unit especially when one considers that three of the team’s four central defenders are over the age of 30.

A grass root option

As revealed recently, Real Madrid have their eyes on Alcorcon’s 17-year-old centre-back Cristian Nikolaev as a promising option and have been following his development for a while now.

The teenager stands out as an option to reinforce the ranks in the youth department and potentially make the jump to the first team based on his development.

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid have also entered the race to sign the Bulgarian-Spanish player.

Los Rojiblancos have reportedly watched the player live multiple times and have even accelerated contacts in recent weeks. As it stands, they have an advantage in the race to sign Nikolaev.

They are, however, not the only competitors Los Blancos must fend off as Juventus, Everton and several Spanish clubs are also said to be interested.

Who is Nikolaev?

At 17 years of age, Nikolaev plays for the subsidiary team of Alcorcon and is said to be one of the country’s more promising young defenders.

In fact, he has trained with the senior team, who are in the second division, on multiple occasions

The teenager is primarily known for his aggression, agility and quick decision-making in defence and his progress to the top has been rapid to this point.

Standing at 1.95 metres, he also boasts of a dominant aerial presence and can be a force to reckon with in the box.

Moving to the Real Madrid youth side, thus, would be a step up for the 17-year-old. What remains to be seen, however, is how far Florentino Perez is willing to push to sign the player.