Real Madrid have reignited their interest in Augusto Batalla, River Plate's highly rated 19-year-old goalkeeper. During the winter window it appeared as though a deal had been struck to bring the stopper to the Bernabéu on loan, but nothing was finalized. Now, Olé reports, Madrid have decided to test River's resolve with a bid of 3.5 million euros to lure Batalla into the ranks of Zinedine Zidane's Castilla.
However, River are not going to let one of the jewels of their academy leave lightly. Batalla is the number one for Argentina's under-20 side and River see the keeper as potentially breaking into the first team at the Monumental next season. Real, for their part, have been tracking Batalla's progress for the past year after they watched him at the Aspire Academy and decided he was a future Bernabéu keeper. Batalla's contract expires in 2016 and he is unsure of where his future lies: "I have as much desire to stay at River as I do to move to Madrid," he said.