Madrid

Eintracht Frankfurt know at this point that it will be very difficult for them to hold on to Luka Jovic this summer as Real Madrid are close to sealing a deal for the 21-year-old Serbian striker.

And one of the possible replacements that the German club is going to put on the table in its negotiations with the LaLiga club is Pedro Ruiz, a Spanish striker who plays for Madrid’s under-19s team.

The 19-year-old is known as “the Ibrahimovic of La Fábrica” (La Fábrica meaning the factory, as Madrid’s youth academy is widely called) and has the profile that Frankfurt are searching for to replace Jovic, who has scored 25 goals in 41 games this season.

Frankfurt’s idea is to secure a loan or a purchase deal which would include an option for Madrid to buy back Pedro, as they are aware that Los Blancos will be reluctant to let go of one La Fábrica’s most promising players.

Full screen Real Madrid are understood to be close to sealing a deal for Luka Jovic.

Madrid could see Pedro’s chance to develop at Frankfurt

The German club has found much success with a formula in developing young players in recent years. It is a well-structured club, though without the pressures of one of the Bundesliga’s top sides, and therefore is the perfect environment for young players to evolve.

Pedro is the type of ‘number nine’ that is in danger of extinction and has the characteristics that would fit perfectly in the very physical football of the Bundesliga. Despite being tall at 1.96 metres, the youngster has great technique with the ball at his feet.

This year he is the top scorer in the U-19 category, with 17 goals in the league and four more in the UEFA Youth League. At international level, he was a runner up at the U-17 World Cup with Spain and has already made his debut at U-19s.

Madrid are very keen to keep the youngster but are aware that a loan spell in Germany could be very beneficial for his development. Los Blancos were delighted with the development of Jesús Vallejo while he was at Frankfurt in 2016-17 and the fine relations between both clubs could help pave the way for Pedro’s move to Germany as part of any deal for Jovic.