Real Madrid News
Real Madrid and Barcelona in transfer war for German prodigy
According to SPORT, Real Madrid are set to rival Barcelona in pursuit of 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko in the summer transfer window of 2023.
The teenage centre-forward has been one of Dortmund’s best performers in the ongoing campaign, having managed to produce a tally of six goals and six assists in all competitions. His form has earned him a call-up to the German national team for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Indeed, Moukoko seems all set to make his senior debut for Die Mannschaft when they face Japan in Group E tomorrow.
And his progress has not gone unnoticed, with several top clubs from across Europe, including Barcelona and Real Madrid vying for his signing.
Los Blancos have no natural backup for Karim Benzema in the squad currently, with Mariano Diaz out of favour. Rodrygo Goes has performed well when deployed centrally but Real Madrid will need to bring in an understudy for Benzema at least in the summer if not in January.
Moukoko, to that end, can be a top signing considering the potential and promise he has shown. What makes him an even more attractive prospect is that the 18-year-old is in the final year of his contract and will be available for a free transfer in 2023.
But, Real Madrid will have to face competition from bitter rivals Barcelona, who are also intent on signing the young striker.
At the same time, the possibility of him prolonging his stay at Signal Iduna Park is not off the table either.
“I will make my decision at the right time. I feel very happy in Dortmund and I know that Edin Terzić trusts me. You will already know if I decide to stay at Dortmund or not,” Moukoko had said in a recent interview.
With PSG seemingly stealing a march over Real Madrid in the race for Endrick, signing Moukoko could prove to be a smart move as he would not only arrive for free but would also join the club in 2023 itself.
It hasn’t been a good week for Real Madrid, who look all set to relinquish their Spanish league title to arch-rivals Barcelona come the end of the season, following a narrow defeat to the Blaugrana at the weekend.
However, as Real Madrid enter the international break, there is some positive news for Carlo Ancelotti and his men.
As reported by Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona look set to miss out on their two star players in Ousmane Dembele and Pedri due to injury, ahead of the upcoming second-leg semifinal tie against Real Madrid, in Copa Del Rey.
Real Madrid are heading into this game with a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg, meaning they must beat Barça with a two-goal margin in order to book a place in the final. The absence of both Pedri and Dembele, to that end, could be a major boost for Ancelotti.
Pedri, who was expected to return to full fitness for the second leg, has suffered a relapse. It has set his return back to three or four weeks late, meaning the youngster will not return until the April 23 tie against Atletico Madrid.
The situation is not much different for Ousmane Dembele. The explosive attacker is recovering slower than expected and though he was tipped to return in the league game against Real Madrid this month, he remains a major doubt for this Copa Del Rey tie.
However, Barcelona did register a narrow victory over Los Blancos even without these two individuals, so the task is definitely cut out for Ancelotti and his men as they look to exact revenge against the Catalans in Copa Del Rey next month.
