Real Madrid News
Real Madrid-linked midfielder poised to join Chelsea in mammoth €127 million deal
Very few youngsters in world football can claim to be at the same level as Real Madrid target Jude Bellingham. Out of the few who can compete, only a small fraction remain available on the transfer market, making Los Blancos’ horizon for a backup option very narrow.
One player who caught the eyes of the management at Santiago Bernabeu as a possible alternative was Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine phenomenon was declared the best young player in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Unsurprisingly, he found himself linked with a move to Real Madrid when the European Champions felt Bellingham’s deal was slipping away. Now, however, Carlo Ancelotti’s side no longer have such a luxury.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea are closing in on a blockbuster €127 million deal for the Benfica star. Almost all the details have been agreed upon by the two clubs and it is only a matter of finishing touches now.
The agreement will see Chelsea pay the Portuguese club in three instalments of about €40 million each as opposed to a direct one-time payment. His departure from Benfica was imminent, especially given that he has missed two training sessions already since winning the World Cup last month.
In 14 appearances for Benfica in the Portuguese top flight this season, the youngster has scored one goal and provided three assists. Further, he averaged two key passes per game and created eight big chances.
Fernandez’s move to London now means that Real Madrid no longer have a plan B. They will have to go out all guns blazing to sign their primary target Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, but reports suggest that they have emerged as the frontrunners for his signing, which bodes well for Carlo Ancelotti & co.
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
