Real Madrid flop to leave Europe after five years at Santiago Bernabeu with no senior appearances as free transfer agreed

According to ESPN, Reinier will sign a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Brazilian club until 2030, with his Madrid contract set to be terminated imminently. The attacking midfielder joined Los Blancos in 2020 from Flamengo but never made a first-team appearance for the club.

The former Brazil Under-23 international has had loan spells at Borussia Dortmund, Girona, Frosinone, and Granada in recent seasons but now he is heading back to South America after a fruitless Santiago Bernabeu spell. The report adds that Madrid will include a 50 per cent sell-on clause as they try to make some money from a player who cost them a reported €30 million (£26m) more than five years ago.

Reinier was part of the Brazilian Under-23 side that won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which took place a year later due to the coronavirus pandemic, and he got a winners' medal as Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal in 2021.

It is expected that the 6ft 1in player, who made three appearances for Madrid's B team in the 2019-20 season, will be unveiled as an Atletico Mineiro player this week. He could even make his debut against his old club Flamengo on Wednesday, or if not then, away to Vasco da Gama next Sunday.