Real Madrid News
Just in – Real Madrid imminent new signing set to undergo medical in 24 hours
Real Madrid are moving very fast in their efforts to secure the signing of Dean Huijsen from AFC Bournemouth in time for the FIFA Club World Cup next month.
The Merengues reached an agreement with the Premier League club over the £50 million signing of the 20-year-old defender on Wednesday night.
With his camp travelling to Spain today to finalise a five-year contract agreement, everything is on track for the youngster to join the Merengues in the coming weeks.
Medical scheduled soon
In fact, according to Mark McAdam, Huijsen is set to undergo his medicals with Real Madrid in the next 24 hours or so.
The 20-year-old appears all set to complete the formalities required to press ahead with the operation at the earliest possible.
However, the report states that the Spanish international will play Bournemouth’s final two matches of the Premier League season and not sit them out despite his exit now on the horizon.
The youngster is grateful to the club for providing him an opportunity in the Premier League and has forged a close bond with his teammates. As such, he will take part in their final two games of the season against Manchester City and Leicester City.
Real Madrid, for their part, will hope that their imminent new arrival comes through unscathed from those games as they see him as a crucial player heading into the FIFA Club World Cup next month.
To summarise, Real Madrid have agreed everything with Bournemouth and Huijsen for the transfer and the youngster’s medical check-up will be completed in the next 24 hours.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
