BREAKING: Manchester City on the verge of buying Danilo from Real Madrid
By Alex McVey
Manchester City have agreed to sign Danilo from Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola will bring in Danilo to compete with newly signed full-back Kyle Walker at the right-back position. Real Madrid will now need to go back out onto the market to find a replacement substitute for Dani Carvajal.
The Guardian reports that Manchester City and Real Madrid have agreed a £26.5m transfer fee for Danilo’s signature.
Danilo has been a surprisingly hot commodity on the summer transfer market. Surprising, because most Real Madrid fans think Danilo is not fit for purpose.
The Real Champs’ own Ben Sundock wrote earlier this past season that Danilo should have been sold off in January. Some have even speculated that Danilo may be Real Madrid’s worst signing of all time.
I’m not convinced that Danilo is as bad as everyone says he is. He typically performs to the level of the rest of the squad. If the entire team is having a bad game, Danilo simply becomes the most evident sign of that performance. But if the entire team rises to the occasion, Danilo usually gets the job done.
Nevertheless, it looks like Real Madrid will be moving on from Danilo, and will be fetching quite the transfer fee to boot. That’s a great bit of business for Real Madrid.
Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Danilo from Real Madrid for a fee which could top £30m https://t.co/rFpai2Rckd pic.twitter.com/fbSuNqcfYs
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 19, 2017
It seems that Madrid was able to play Manchester City and Chelsea off one another. Both clubs were seeking Danilo’s signature, but Pep’s Manchester City ended up winning that battle.
Now Real Madrid face the task of trying to find a replacement for Danilo. Marca report that PSG’s Meunir is the most likely replacement. However, there are other options available. As The Real Champs’ Ahmed Genina reports, Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín, Real Sociedad’s Álvaro Odriozola, and Real Madrid’s own Lucas Vázquez are all possible options. Yes, Vázquez is more an attacking player, but he also has the capacity to play on the wings.
I would also like to add that Nacho could be a suitable replacement. Nacho plays anywhere across the back line, and has deputized well for Carvajal in the past, like when Carvajal went down injured in the latter stages of this season’s Champions League run.
Next: Real Madrid preseason training update: Sergio Ramos joins the squad.