Roma and Real Madrid are battling for the signature of Santos sensation Thiago Carleto, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.

The left back, who turns 19 later this month, is widely regarded as one of the most explosive young talents in Brazilian football, and has already been labelled as the photocopy of former Selecao star Roberto Carlos.

Roberto Carlos of course spent the majority of his career at Madrid, but the club have failed to find an adequate replacement since he joined Fenerbahce last summer.

Gabriel Heinze, Miguel Torres, Royston Drenthe and Marcelo have all been unimpressive in the role, and the Spanish giants are searching around for an alternative.

The Gazzetta says that they are preparing a bid for Thiago, although they face competition from last night’s Champions League conquerors Roma.

The Giallorossi are also in need of a left-back as they currently possess just two in their first-team squad, the 33-year-old Max Tonetto, and the inexperienced 20-year-old Vitorino Antnes.

Roma are hoping that their large Brazilian contingent, which already includes the likes of Mancini, Taddei and Juan, will help convince Thiago to choose them over Madrid. A price of around €6.5m has been mooted.