Premier League rivals Manchester City and Chelsea will reportedly battle Real Madrid and Barcelona for Benfica defender David Luiz according to respected Spanish daily Marca.
The precocious Brazilian youngster is widely recognised as one of the finest prospects on the continent having been coveted by a host of clubs throughout his fledgling career. Arsenal and Manchester United have both had scouts monitoring the player for the best part of 18-months however the 23-year-old’s growing reputation in the game has inevitably inflated his transfer value, leading to Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson dropping out of the race.
Real Madrid are reportedly favourites for the defender, who is also capable at left-back, but Manchester City and Chelsea remain very much in the running for the former Brazil Under-20 international.
Luiz was instrumental in Benfica’s superb season last year, helping the Portuguese giants win a league and cup double as well reach the Europa League quarter-finals. He has already been tipped as a future Brazil international and having won the Portuguese League Footballer of the Year award in 2010, Luiz seems destined to reach the very top of the game.
The prodigious stalwart has a buyout clause set at 40 million euros but Benfica are willing to allow the defender to leave the club for £28 million.