Real Madrid News
22-year-old youngster an option for Real Madrid to reinforce the No. 9 spot
With the news of Karim Benzema possibly leaving Real Madrid this summer for Saudi Arabia starting to gather pace, the Spanish capital club find themselves in a scramble to reinforce their No. 9 slot.
Should the Frenchman call it time on his career at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid will need to make a superstar signing to replace him.
However, there seems to be some difference of opinion on that matter between the club and manager Carlo Ancelotti, with the former hoping to sign a low-cost option like Roberto Firmino or Joselu, before going for one of Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe next year.
And as per MARCA, a player who fits into that line of thinking and is on the radars of Real Madrid is youngster Juanmi Latasa.
The 22-year-old is currently away on loan at Getafe from the Merengues, with the La Liga club retaining the option of signing him permanently for a fixed fee.
Latasa’s time in Getafe, however, has not been most productive as he struggled for game-time for much of the season. Things seem to be improving of late under Jose Bordalas as the young striker scored on his first start for the club this past weekend against CA Osasuna.
Real Madrid have been monitoring Latasa’s progress at Getafe and the youngster remains an option for the club to reinforce the No. 9 role, although one would imagine it would be in a backup capacity.
Before leaving Real Madrid for Getafe, Latasa had made 50 appearances for the Castilla team and scored 18 goals in the process.
It remains to be seen if the 22-year-old Spaniard gets a shot at first-team football at the Santiago Bernabeu next season or if Getafe decide to sign him permanently.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
