Man Utd & Real Madrid 'competing' for Olympic gold medalist
- Man Utd and Real Madrid both interested in Juanlu Sanchez
- 21-year-old capable of playing in defence, midfield and on the wing
- Juanlu part of Spain squad that won Olympic gold this summer
By Sean Walsh
Manchester United and Real Madrid are said to be interested in Sevilla's Juanlu Sanchez.
The 21-year-old is naturally a right-back but is also capable of playing on the wing and in central midfield.
According to Spanish outlet AS, United sent scouts to watch Juanlu during Spain's 2024 Olympic campaign in which they won the gold medal.
Officials from the Red Devils are said to have been impressed enough by Juanlu to continue following his progress in La Liga so far this season. He scored in Sevilla's 2-2 draw at Las Palmas on the opening weekend of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Madrid are believed to be interested in Juanlu due to his physical profile, combining strength with speed in addition to his positional versatility.
Sevilla are trying to fend off interest and tie Juanlu down to a new contract, with his current deal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan up in 2026.
His current contract contains a €20m release clause and Sevilla are also determined to significantly raise that number in any new deal, believing he is worth far more than that sum.
Bournemouth were also looking into a deal for Juanlu earlier this summer, but their attempts fell flat and they moved for Barcelona's Julian Araujo instead.
Juanlu has made 43 senior appearances across all competitions so far in his career and also has experience in the UEFA Champions League.
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