Who is Atletico Madrid signing Marcos Paulo?

David Lynch

• Updated: 17 May 2021 19:46 BST
• 1 min read

Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal with Fluminense for teenage forward Marcos Paulo to join the club at the end of the season.

The 19-year-old has signed a five-year deal with Atleti, who hope he will become the latest successful South American import to La Liga.

Born in the Sao Goncalo municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Marcos Paulo joined nearby Fluminense’s academy at the age of 11.

Six years later, he was ready for a first-team debut, which came as a substitute in a January 2019 meeting with Madureira in the Copa Sudamericana.

It was around this time that, amid reported interest from Europe, Fluminense increased Marcos Paulo’s release clause to an eye-watering €45m.

The forward scored his first goals for the club in grabbing a brace in a 5-2 win over Uruguayan outfit Penarol in July.

Marcos Paulo has not looked back since, and ended the 2020 season with eight goals in 38, numbers that attracted admiring glances of a number of high-profile clubs including Parma and Inter.

But he is now headed for Atletico Madrid, whose desire to get a deal done quickly proved key to seeing off other interest.

Marcos Paulo’s move to Europe will also mean he is forced to do less travelling when it comes to international breaks.

The teenager currently represents Portugal U19s, rather than the country of his birth, having qualified through his Vila Real-born grandfather.