Real Madrid News
PSG eyeing Real Madrid defender with €30m release clause, player tempted by interest
Despite the strained relationship between Real Madrid and PSG, the French champions are considering a summer raid for Los Blancos’ young defender Rafa Marin, reports MARCA.
It is no secret that Real Madrid and PSG do not see eye to eye due to the fallout from the former’s pursuit of Kylian Mbappe over the past couple of years.
Les Parisiens’ president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has constantly voiced concerns against the Super League project spearheaded by Florentino Perez, adding more friction to the relationship.
Despite that, it seems like PSG are considering making a move for one of Real Madrid’s most talented young prospects in Rafa Marin.
The 20-year-old has been at La Fabrica since 2016 when he joined from the Sevilla youth academy. Having progressed steadily through the ranks, the centre-back has become a mainstay in Raul Gonzalez’s Castilla outfit, impressing with his solid displays.
While Marin is yet to make his first-team debut for Los Merengues, he is knocking on Carlo Ancelotti’s doors, having scored two goals in seven games for Castilla this term.
But given the plethora of defensive options in the first-team setup, the pathway for the Spaniard is not easy and PSG want to capitalise on the situation.
As per the report, the Ligue 1 champions rate Marin very highly and believe that Real Madrid are not making the best use of his vast potential. They have conveyed the same message to the youngster’s camp as they consider a summer swoop for him.
Marin has always prioritised staying at Real Madrid, but the report states that he is flattered by the interest from PSG and is tempted by the possibility of the transfer.
The 20-year-old has a release clause worth €30 million in his contract which the Parisian giants can trigger to sign him. However, the operation is expected to be difficult, which is why they have started laying the groundwork for the deal as early as October.
In what could be a real deal breaker for Real Madrid ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg clash against Barcelona, it has been revealed that as many as three Barça will be absent from the game while another key player remains a major doubt.
The list includes the likes of Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Andreas Christensen. The trio is certain to miss the game through respective injuries while a certain Frenkie de Jong is more or less ruled out, as per Javi Miguel.
It must be remembered that Barcelona are heading into the second leg with a 1-0 advantage. But the absence of the aforementioned players means Madrid can work on exploiting the frailties.
Despite the absence of such big names, Barcelona did pretty well against Elche in their previous outing, coming out 4-0 victorious, with the goals coming from Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.
With options lacking in midfield, Xavi decided to use the likes of Sergi Roberto and Eric Garcia along with Gavi in the heart of the lineup. In any way, they do have Sergio Busquets and Franck Kessie as backups if needed.
The defence, on the other hand, was perfectly guarded by Jordi Alba, Marcos Alonso, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde.
One can expect Xavi to once again interchange Araujo with Kounde on the right since the Uruguayan has been rather successful in minimizing the threat of Vinicius Jr.
As far as Madrid are concerned, they are sweating over the fitness of three key defenders, namely, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho, and Ferland Mendy. Between these three, the Frenchman is out for about a month while Rudiger and Nacho are expected to be back before the Clasico.
If there are no casualties against Real Valladolid, Madrid will have a perfect midfield and attack, with only Mariano Diaz missing.
