Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is one of Real Madrid’s top targets in the 2020 summer transfer window, and it’s looking more and more likely he’ll be headed to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid have a number of transfer targets they’d love to sign this summer, with most of their needs focused in the attack. But dream targets like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are highly unlikely to be available in 2020.
There is one top target, however, who looks poised to join Los Blancos this summer.
According to a report from MARCA’s José Félix Díaz, teams rivaling Real Madrid for Rennes defensive midfielder Eduardo Camavinga are pulling out of the race because they do not think they can compete with Real for the 17-year-old star.
Note that Camavinga reportedly sees Real Madrid as his dream club, and Zinedine Zidane appears to be extremely high on the player as a future star in his midfield.
Zidane has been aggressively pursuing Paul Pogba, and a deal for Camavinga would not prevent him from signing the Manchester United star. But a Pogba deal remains unlikely, whereas Camavinga checks off all the boxes as a young star with great defensive work.
Most importantly, Camavinga will be affordable for Real Madrid. Per Marco Ruiz of AS, Camavinga’s asking price is down to 50 million euros, which is significantly lower than what it seemed like Los Blancos would have to pay when they first started monitoring the Ligue 1 breakout star.
Meanwhile, MARCA’s report notes the asking price will be 60 million euros, but they do state that FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, who were among Real’s stiffest competition for Camavinga, are no longer involved.
Camavinga has all the traits to play as a defensive midfielder backing up Casemiro or a box-to-box midfielder. He was one of the most active defensive players in Europe’s top five leagues last season, making him a great fit as Casemiro’s backup and heir apparent. But there’s plenty to his game offensively, including accurate passing and disruptive runs off the ball.
PSG and Juventus are reportedly still interested, per the report from AS, so Real may have to pay more than 50 million euros. Juve need a midfielder and PSG will want to beat Real to the signature of a Ligue 1 standout, but Los Blancos remain the clear favorites for now.