Real Madrid News
Manchester City superstar’s potential arrival could force Real Madrid into huge Vinicius or Mbappe decision
Erling Haaland could potentially become available in 2027, and this would present Real Madrid with an extraordinary opportunity.
However, signing the Manchester City striker would create an enormous question: what happens to Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe?
According to Bernabeu Digital, the possibility of Haaland moving to Madrid could increase if Manchester City receive a severe punishment in their ongoing case.
However, accommodating the Norwegian could ultimately require Los Blancos to part ways with either Vinicius or Mbappe.
Haaland would completely reshape Madrid’s attack
The attraction is obvious. Haaland would give Mourinho something his current superstar pairing does not naturally provide: an elite, specialist No. 9 who wants to occupy central spaces.
Mbappe has produced outstanding goalscoring numbers through the middle, but his natural tendency remains to drift towards the left.
Vinicius wants that same territory, creating a positional overlap that Madrid have already experienced this season.
Haaland would remove that ambiguity. He plays through the centre, allowing Madrid to build around a fixed reference point with genuine width around him.
Haaland’s existing relationship with Jude Bellingham from their Borussia Dortmund days could be another useful factor.
Vinicius or Mbappe could face difficult decision
The most complicated issue would be finding the right balance for the rest of the attack.
Neither Vinicius nor Mbappe is realistically suited to becoming a rotational player.
Playing Haaland centrally while accommodating both could simply recreate Madrid’s existing structural problem, particularly because Vinicius and Mbappe are most dangerous when attacking from the left.
Thus, the only way Madrid can make this work is by selling one of Mbappe or Vinicius, despite both being on long-term contracts.
Vinicius would currently appear the more plausible departure, with the Brazilian failing to hit the heights of his previous seasons.
The other thing that needs to be kept in mind is that the possibility of Haaland becoming available is hypothetical at this stage.
Manchester City will surely appeal the charges and, even then, the extent of the punishment they may receive is not clear.
Signing Haaland still seems a far-fetched dream, and Los Blancos can focus on the repercussions if and when the transfer starts looking more realistic.
Real Madrid have identified the midfield department as a key area of the squad that needs strengthening next year.
Having failed to sign Rodri this past summer, the Merengues understand that a major signing is necessary in the position.
Several names have already been linked as potential targets for the Spanish capital club, one of whom happens to be AFC Bournemouth rising star Alex Scott.
Indeed, Real Madrid have scouted the England international this season and are continuing to closely monitor his development in the Premier League.
However, competition for the 23-year-old midfielder’s services is already heating up.
AC Milan eye Alex Scott
Indeed, according to Tutto Mercato (h/t AS), Italian giants AC Milan have set their sights on Scott to replace Real Madrid legend Luka Modric next season.
Modric, at 41, is entering the final phase of his career and his contract with the Rossoneri stands to expire at the end of the ongoing campaign.
As such, the Serie A heavyweights will need to rope in a replacement and have seemingly identified Scott, who is also on Real Madrid’s radar, as an option.
Apart from AC Milan, even Chelsea and Liverpool have also shown interest in the 23-year-old England star, and might even be willing to make a move for him in January.
This complicates the situation for Real Madrid, who would ideally wait until the summer of 2027 to reinforce their midfield unit.
€50 million for Scott?
Furthermore, the report states that Scott is valued by Bournemouth at around €50 million, a fee that could be an issue for AC Milan.
That figure, however, should not pose a challenge for Real Madrid. Nonetheless, the increasing competition for the 23-year-old’s services could drive up the price further, making things complicated.
For now, though, Real Madrid’s interest in Scott has been limited to scouting and monitoring his progress and compiling reports on him.
Whether it translates into a formal approach and offer in the summer or in January itself remains to be seen.
