Barcelona and Real Madrid both sent scouts to watch three Premier League players in person, it has been reported.
Both clubs have had a tradition of signing players from the English top flight throughout the 21st century, with Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gerard Pique among those to directly make the move from England to Spain.
Barcelona's financial issues over recent years has been well-known, but they have still successfully negotiated with Leeds to sign Raphinha and brought in Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Manchester City.
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Real, meanwhile, signed Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2022 though have focused on a more modern 'Galacticos' policy in the last few seasons.
But both clubs appear to have the Premier League on their transfer radar this summer - and reportedly sent scouts to watch three players in person over the weekend.
According to TBR Football, the scouts attended the City Ground to watch high-flying Nottingham Forest's 3-1 defeat to Newcastle.
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Brazilian defender Murillo opened the scoring for Forest, but goals from Alexander Isak, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes completed a superb comeback for Eddie Howe's side.
And it is claimed that two of those players were watched closely by Barca and Real, with Murillo and Isak both on their radars.
Isak has been valued at £100 million but Howe recently admitted that the Magpies were unable to renew his contract due to issues surrounding Premier League Profit and Sustainability.
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Murillo, 21, joined Forest last summer and has established himself as one of the most promising centre-backs in English football.
The third player that scouts watched may not come as a surprise to many fans, with Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes being assessed.
Guimaraes was heavily linked with a move to Barca last summer prior to his release clause expiring, but Les Cules did not make a move and the Brazil midfielder stayed on Tyneside.
Topics: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Transfers, Premier League
Ryan Smart