According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid are hot on the trail of Middlesbrough’s young winger Adam Johnson.

With former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos taking over at the club this week, Real could be looking to add a few faces that Ramos is familiar with from his time in the Premier League. He’s already been linked with moves for a few of his former Tottenham players, including Aaron Lennon, but he’s now being linked with another young English winger.

Johnson is one of several talented young prospects that has risen through the ranks of Boro’s youth academy to the first team, and he’s also a rising prospect in England’s national team setup, having made 11 appearances for the Under-21 team. He’s yet to become a regular in the starting lineup at Boro, but that’s because Stewart Downing is ahead of him in the pecking order.

Interest from the likes of Real Madrid is certainly an honor, but I think Gareth Southgate would be pretty reluctant to let go of someone who has as much promise as Johnson has. Of course, a worthy offer could get him to blink, but if Downing leaves anytime in the near future, it’d open the way for Johnson to take over on the left side. With that in mind, I don’t see Boro parting with one of their top prospects just yet, but if he gets his chance and makes the most of it, this won’t be the last time Real are after him.