Real Madrid: Best and worst transfer solutions at each position

Defensive Midfield

Ideal option: Eduardo Camavinga

Rennes defensive midfielder Eduardo Camavinga seems like a slam dunk for Real Madrid, as the organization has been high on him ever since his star-making performance against PSG in the first half of the season.

Camavinga averaged more than four tackles per game, according to WhoScored.com, despite being only 16 years old for much of the 2019-2020 Ligue 1 campaign. He has all the traits to be the absolute best defensive midfielder in the world, and even as a teenager, he’s already one of the world’s best at the difficult position.

He wouldn’t be forced to start every game with Casemiro in the lineup, but he could get significant playing time as Real look to ease Casemiro’s workload. Camavinga seems enthusiastic about joining the club, and he looks like a very affordable option now.

Unideal option: David Alaba

Bayern Munich star David Alaba is in contract negotiations with the club but seems to prefer a move to one of La Liga’s top two clubs in Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. And between the two of them, Los Merengues appear to be the favorites.

Alaba may be a defender at Bayern, but he has also shown an ability to star at defensive midfielder in the past. His technical quality and intelligent reading of the game could make him a world-class defensive midfielder in the final years of his career, as he clearly showed those traits as an underappreciated center back fill-in in 2019-2020 for Die Roten.

That said, Alaba’s salary and potential transfer cost will be too high. His versatility and overall quality could help Real Madrid, but he’s too good to be a backup option. And again, Real must focus on youth here.