Olympiacos close in on Real Madrid U-19 prospect.

Real Madrid and Olympiacos are closing up negotiations for the transfer of U-19s winger Diby Keita, according to Marca.

The Juvenil A player is highly rated by the Greek side and is set to fly out to Piraeus this Friday to sign his contract. Keita is likely to start out with Olympiacos reserve team, but has assurances that he will progress that he will be playing senior level football soon, something Real Madrid can’t offer.

My youth knowledge isn’t what it once was, but this is the first time I’ve heard of Keita. He’s been with La Cantera since moving from Rayo Vallecano in 2016 and one can presume that he, as with many other young players playing at U-19s level this season, has struggled for playing time against some established homegrown stars like Israel Salazar and Bruno Igelsias (a direct competitor in his position).

It’s a great move for the youngster if Olympiacos follow through on their promises and hopefully help Keita kickstart a season that hasn’t really gotten going for him this year. It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid have included any buyback or first refusal clauses in the final deal and how Keita progresses in Greece.