West Bromwich Albion lead the chase to snap up Cristian Benavente. The Premier League club has agreed a €5 million deal with Real Madrid for the attacking midfielder, who was born in Spain but represents Peru.

Everything has been thrashed out and all that remains is for the starlet to sign on the dotted line on a three-year contract which includes a buyback option so that 'Los Blancos' can bring him back in the future should they wish to do so.

Benavente has been considering looking for pastures new for some time in order to improve his international prospects.

He finally decided to take the plunge following his omission from the Peru squad for the Copa América. The catalyst was 'Incas' coach Ricardo Gareca reportedly telling the youngster - who spent this past season playing B-team football with Zinedine Zidane's Castilla - that he needed to be plying his trade at a higher level in order to establish himself as a key figure on the international stage.