Real Madrid Will Reportedly Offer 'Greek Lionel Messi' £30M To Beat Manchester City And Chelsea

A report claims that Real Madrid is about to splurge millions on signing a winger dubbed as the 'Greek Messi' before Manchester City and Chelsea make a move.

Real Madrid are reportedly all-in on pursuing KRC Genk winger Konstantinos Karetsas. Regardless of how their season goes, Los Blancos are believed to be opting for a major rebuild in the summer transfer window.

One of the top priorities of the La Liga giants is to bolster the squad by adding a skilled and brilliant midfielder. According to Fussball Daten, Real Madrid have set their sights on Karetsas, who has been exceptional in the Greek league. The report noted that Los Blancos are already 'preparing an offer of around £30.4m ($41.2m)' for the KRC Genk wonderkid.

Real Madrid Has Found Competition

The 18-year-old has been drawing attention from a number of major clubs across Europe. So far, the attacking midfielder has already scored three goals and dished out 18 assists in 45 matches in all competitions for Genk this season.

Those numbers were more than enough to attract suitors from the English Premier League. Apart from Real Madrid, the German outlet also mentioned Manchester City and Chelsea as the sides that are expected to make a move on Karetsas in the next transfer window.

However, stealing Karetsas from Genk isn't going to be be a walk in the park. In November of 2024, he agreed to a contract extension with the Belgian club which would run until 2027.

'Genk is my home. I feel a lot of trust from the club,' Karetsas said via Yahoo Sports. 'This is the best environment for me to keep growing, close to my family. I want to win trophies with KRC Genk and compete in Europe'.

Konstantinos' father Vaios also recognised that sky is the limit for his son. He told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that many clubs have already persuaded them but ultimately, they still chose to stay at Genk.

'RB Leipzig, Milan and even Manchester City invited us several times to come and have a look,' Vaios said. 'We didn't like it... the only team outside Genk where we had discussions was Ajax'.

Karetsas' loyalty to Genk is totally understandable. It is where he honed his abilities and matured as a player, having spent his entire professional career with the Belgian side.

The 'Greek Messi'

Though it's a bit too early, fans and experts alike have already likened Karetsas to Messi. Yahoo Sports assessed that the teenage phenom earned comparisons to the Argentine legend 'probably due to his diminutive stature (5ft 7in/170 cm) and his left-footedness'.

The outlet further described Karetsas as 'shifty, quick on the half turn and has a wicked left foot. Growing up, he watched clips of Neymar and Ronaldinho, which is demonstrated in the way he uses body feints and changes of direction'.

Moreover, it was also highlighted that Karetsas 'likes to play between the lines and has been utilised mostly as a number ten, but can also operate out wide too'.

It would be interesting to find out which club would prevail in the race to sign the so-called 'Greek Messi' this summer.