Reports are emerging over the rising Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur interest in Colombian midfielder, Juan Fernando Quintero. The 25-year-old has caught the eyes of the Premier League outfit by excelling on the international stage. He has played a key role next to James Rodriguez by scoring once and furthering two assists to take his nation to the knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Quintero has also been a standout performer for River Plate this past season, making 16 appearances and being directly involved in 4 goals. The Argentine outfit brought him out on loan from FC Porto at the start of the year and already has a buyback clause in place.
The club’s president, Rodolfo D’Onofrio said, “River fans stay calm, that’s not true about Real Madrid. Nothing has come to River. Everything is already set. It is already stipulated how the amount we have to pay (to Porto) will be paid, so there is no financial problem because we can give the ok now and in a few months we will have to pay.”
This should not be the final say over Quintero’s future as we have seen clubs make a hefty profit simply by being the middleman in a three-way trade. If Tottenham do express serious interest or the player opts for a move away from the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, River Plate would understandably charge a tidy sum in the present market conditions.
Quintero is primarily an attacking midfielder who can appear from the wing positions as well. The 25-year-old was born in Medellin and started out as a youth player for Envigado. He made 40 appearances for the side before moving on to Atletico Nacional.
Quintero managed to impress European scouts right on his arrival to the Estadio Atanasio Girardot and was asked out on loan to Serie A side, Pescara. He was signed by FC Porto in the summer of 2013 and allowed to feature in 64 of the club’s senior games.
The midfielder registered 7 goals and 11 assists but could not hold down a favourable starting spot with the Primera Liga side. That led to him being sent out on loan to clubs like Rennes and Independiente Medellin over the course of his Porto career.
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Tottenham are looking for more players in the attacking lineup but Quintero might not be offered more than a rotational role alongside the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela, Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela.
