CHELSEA and Liverpool are battling to sign Spains newest
superstars.
The Premiership giants are trying to lure Juan Manuel Mata and
Alberto Bueno, both 19, from Real Madrid.
The duo were the driving force behind the Spain team which won the
FIFA World Under-19 Championship last year.
Mata is an out-and-out hitman with a formidable record for his club
and the junior Spain side while Bueno is a second striker playing
off the front man.
Real are trying desperately to persuade their young stars to extend
their contracts, expiring at the end of this season.
But the pair have seen the meteoric rise of Cesc Fabregas at
Arsenal and are keen to move to the Premiership to further their
own careers.
Both Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho and Liverpools Rafa Benitez want
to land the players in January and Real may have to sell rather
than lose them for nothing in the summer.
Anfields Spanish boss believes he holds the upper hand in the race
for their signatures but Chelsea have indicated they will pay more
than Liverpool.
