Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool battling to sign teenage striker on Bosman move in 2023
Real Madrid and Barcelona are already going head-to-head in their pursuit of Palmeiras wonderkid Endrick. However, it seems like the two La Liga giants have another common goal in the transfer market in the form of Borussia Dortmund ace Youssoufa Moukoko.
Indeed, as per SPORT, Barcelona have entered the race to sign the 17-year-old prodigy who is already being pursued by Liverpool, Real Madrid as well as Paris Saint-Germain.
Moukoko has emerged as one of the most promising young players in the German Bundesliga, especially in the ongoing campaign, during which has netted three goals and set up four more for his teammates from 15 appearances.
Just 17 years old, the youngster is also a regular for the German Under-21 national team and has scored six goals in five matches for them.
Moukoko’s current contract with Borussia Dortmund stands to expire in the summer of 2023. It has sparked a plethora of interest in the teenage sensation, with Real Madrid among the clubs keen on signing him.
Los Blancos already raided the Bundesliga for a young forward this past summer, signing Iker Bravo from Bayer Leverkusen. And they wish to do so again by landing Moukoko when his contract with Dortmund runs down.
Given that Karim Benzema has no natural backup in the No. 9 role, Moukoko can be signed and groomed by the reigning champions of Spain and Europe. Despite his young age, he has some degree of experience at the highest level, having played over 50 matches for Dortmund.
However, the competition from the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, and PSG will make things difficult for Real Madrid.
The report adds that Liverpool could be best-placed to sign Moukoko, thanks to the presence of former Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp. With Barcelona also now entering the picture, Los Merengues will have their task cut out if they wish to land the 17-year-old striker.
It is astounding that despite being the biggest club in Spain, Real Madrid do not have many Spanish players to show for it.
Los Blancos do indeed boast of a special diversity in the dressing room, but their lack of locally trained players could pose problems according to MARCA.
The Spanish outlet confirms that UEFA does not mandate the inclusion of any minimum number of locally grown players for a club. However, the Spanish federation stipulates that a club in Spain must boast of at least eight players who meet a specific set of conditions.
Of the aforementioned eight candidates, there must be at least four players who have spent three seasons or 36 months at the club between the ages of 15 and 21.
Currently, only Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Federico Valverde, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Mariano make up the required number on that front.
The problem, however, arises with the condition for the other four players in the list of eight. RFEF stipulates that the second set of four players must have completed at least 36 months in teams attached to the federation of Spain between the ages of 15 and 21.
Only Jesus Vallejo, Alvaro Odriozola, Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos tick the aforementioned box. However, all four players have uncertain futures at the club and are well-placed to depart in the summer.
There are thus big decisions to be taken over the transfer strategy for June. Real Madrid can work ways to ship all four players out, it would require the re-integration of players like Sergio Arribas, Miguel Gutierrez or Fran Garcia to ensure the fulfilment of the criteria.
With both Vallejo and Odriozola seemingly frozen out of Ancelotti’s plans, their departures from Santiago Bernabeu appear inevitable. Thus, the management could be forced to renew one of Asensio or Ceballos come June.
