Real Madrid News
Real Madrid were in the race to sign Haaland last year, might have ‘worried’ Mbappe
Erling Haaland has left the footballing buzzing with his performances for Manchester City. Since joining the club last summer, the forward has racked up over 50 goals, breaking all sorts of records in the process.
Manchester City had signed Haaland for a fee of just €60 million, which, notwithstanding the player’s hefty salary, was a bargain by every sense of the word.
According to Mario Cortegana, even Real Madrid were aware of the situation and were pursuing Haaland last summer. Although the club denied it, they were in the front of the queue, along with Man City.
The Athletic journalist points out that Real Madrid chief scout Juni Calafat, who was the mastermind in signing the likes of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, had met Haaland’s agent in February 2022, to discuss the possibility of a summer move to Santiago Bernabeu.
The report claims Kylian Mbappe was aware of the meeting. He even asked about the chances of Haaland signing for Real Madrid.
It must be noted that Los Blancos, at the time, were heavily invested in the pursuit of Mbappe. Everything suggested that the Frenchman would be the headline signing for the Spanish giants in the summer of 2022, after years of success at PSG.
But with Haaland also in consideration, Mbappe was understood to be worried. The player’s entourage had even informed the club that he would play alongside Haaland at Real Madrid. But the fact that Frenchman asked, suggested that he was worried by the prospect of playing with the Norwegian.
In the end, though, Real Madrid failed on both ends. Manchester City were able to secure the signing of Haaland, whereas Mbappe opted to renew his contract at Parc des Princes at the last minute.
There have been suggestions Real Madrid could enter the market for Mbappe this summer, owing to PSG’s internal conflicts. But Spanish media has dismissed those claims for now.
As for Haaland, he continues to be linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, with Los Blancos eyeing him as a long-term replacement for captain Karim Benzema in 2024.
Real Madrid are looking towards a heavy splurge in the coming summer transfer window. After all, they do not even have another option given the sheer number of player departures already finalized.
Los Blancos have lost the services of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard over the past week. While three of the four players predominantly featured on the bench, their presence in the squad gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side much-needed depth and a cushion of sorts.
The forward unit is, thus, the most prioritized department ahead of the transfer window. However, pieces are beginning to fall apart on other fronts and could potentially put the club in a difficult situation.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are eyeing Lucas Vazquez and hope to sign him in the coming month. Contacts between the two parties have begun and the transfer fee discussed appears to be around the €6 million to €8 million ballpark given that he has just one year left on his contract.
The player, for his part, is willing to sign for the Italian giants given his relative lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu. At 31 years of age, he understandably does not want to play a second-fiddle role.
Vasquez played part in 23 of Real Madrid’s 38 La Liga games last season, starting only on 12 occasions. Even in his few appearances, he averaged a mere 50 minutes per game.
The veteran completed the season with four goals and an assist to his name. Further, he averaged five defensive actions and a key pass in every game and feels hard done by his limited role.
Vazquez’s departure would place the club in a tricky situation as it would leave Real Madrid with only Dani Carvajal as a natural right-back option. Nacho Fernandez could, in theory, serve as the backup but a new signing for the position cannot be ruled out.
