Real Madrid could face transfer ban like Barcelona

The club will on Monday present Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva just three days after making a huge financial commitment to sign 16-year-old Martin Odegaard.

And , according to AS, the suspicion in Spain is that the club are preparing for the worst after FIFA's merciless exclusion of 

Barcelona from the transfer market for the next 12 months - scuppering any potential Real move for Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.

The investigation into Madrid focuses on two 12-year-olds brought from Venezuela in 2012.

Manuel Godoy and Fernando Macias were on a tour of trials with big clubs but before they could reach River Plate and Milan, Madrid snapped them up via an intermediary who has a soccer school in the Spanish capital. 

The first was signed by Madrid in 2012 and the second of the two players signed aged 14 in 2013. He is currently in the youth system of Rayo Vallecano.

Madrid have a month to file all relevant paperwork to FIFA and demonstrate they have not contravened the governing body’s Article 14, which only allows the signing of Under 18s from outside the EU if the player’s parents have had to relocate to the country where the club is based, for non-football reasons.

(dailymail.co.uk)