Real Madrid News
Real Madrid offered €60 million-rated Juventus midfield target by agent
Real Madrid are on the lookout for reinforcements in midfield next summer and have several players on their agenda.
Borussia Dortmund youngster Jude Bellingham is at the top of the shopping list for Los Blancos. But his valuation and the competition for his services could force them to look elsewhere.
And one name that is now doing the rounds as a possible option for Real Madrid is Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu on several occasions in the past. But Lazio’s €100 million valuation of their midfield mainstay led to the move never materialising.
However, Milinkovic-Savic’s contract with the Italian capital club expires in 2024. And, as things stand, he has shown no indication of wanting to sign a new deal. And given that he will be entering the final year of his contract in the summer, an exit looks likely.
And, as per Corriere dello Sport (h/t SPORT), Milinkovic-Savic’s agent, Mateja Kezman, is offering his client to several top clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid.
The report indicates that Kezman could meet the Spanish capital outfit in the near future in order to explain to them the midfielder’s situation and assess their interest in signing Milinkovic-Savic.
As mentioned earlier, Real Madrid are on the lookout for a new midfielder and have made Bellingham their top target. The Merengues have identified Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans as a Plan B if they miss out on the England international.
So, while Milinkovic-Savic can be an option for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, he is not considered a priority at the moment. And Real Madrid would be unwilling to match his €60 million valuation as things stand.
In case Lazio lower their asking price for the Serbian international, Real Madrid could consider making a bid, although they will have to face competition from Juventus.
The Bianconeri’s interest in the 27-year-old is much more concrete than Madrid’s and there is a strong belief that the midfielder could end up in Turin next summer unless he pushes for a move to Real Madrid, which forces Lazio to lower their asking price.
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.
