Barcelona and Real Madrid are reportedly keeping tabs on 17-year-old Portuguese prodigy Herculano Nabian, labelled as the ‘new Lukaku’.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Herculano Nabian is attracting some of the biggest clubs in Europe in the summer transfer window. The 17-year-old Portuguese prodigy, who is called the ‘new Lukaku’, is being tailed by Barcelona and Real Madrid, among a bevy of Italian giants.
Herculano Nabian joined Vitoria Guimaraes from Belenenses in 2018 and has since made some massive strides at the Portuguese club. So much so, that the 17-year-old prodigy is already a part of Os Conquistadores’ reserve side despite still being in his teens.
Since being promoted to Vitoria Guimaraes B, Nabian has impressed to no end and from some quarters, he has even been labelled as the ‘new Lukaku’. Such a projection was always sure to help him capture the attention of some of the biggest clubs in the world, with Barcelona and Real Madrid among his prospective suitors this summer.
Barcelona are always on the lookout for some of the brightest talents in the game, with their famed academy La Masia tipped to be on the rise again following Joan Laporta’s election as the president. Nabian, though, could well be included in the first-team setup in due course, considering Sergio Aguero, who has arrived as a free agent this summer, only likely to be a short-term solution.
Real Madrid, like Barcelona, have been renowned to keep a lookout for promising prospects, which has seen them snap up the likes of Reinier Jesus, Rodrygo Goes and Takefusa Kubo in recent years. Of late, Real Madrid are battling their fierce rivals for Enrique Herrero, with Nabian a viable target, if he can continue his meteoric rise.
Indeed, with Karim Benzema on the wrong side of 30 and approaching the final phase of his career, Real Madrid do need to soon lay down a succession plan for him. And Nabian could well be a part of that plan. For now, Barcelona and Los Blancos are among several clubs closely monitoring the ‘new Lukaku’.
What now remains to be seen is if either of Barcelona and Real Madrid end up launching the offensive for Nabian in the summer transfer window. The two La Liga heavyweights face stiff competition from a number of Italian giants and a transfer battle could be setting up for the 17-year-old.