Real Madrid Transfers: Should there be a push for Houssem Aouar?

Real Madrid have said they won’t make any big signings this summer, but should they make an exception for Houssem Aouar?

Every year, there’s a young midfielder who makes a name for himself on a Champions League team. Last season, it was Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong, who made a big-money move to Barcelona. And now, it’s Houssem Aouar of Lyon, who had caught Real Madrid’s eye long before his big matches in the knockout stages.

Aouar is currently being linked to clubs like Arsenal, as he is fully expected to make a move away from Lyon this summer.

But should Real Madrid heighten their interest in the young midfielder?

Los Blancos were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Manchester City – the same team Lyon soundly defeated in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Zinedine Zidane didn’t sit idly by after the elimination, calling back Martin Odegaard from his highly-successful loan spell at Real Sociedad. Odegaard joins a midfield that already contains club legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, future star Fede Valverde, and world-class defensive midfielder Casemiro. Isco is still expected to be on the books, though James Rodriguez will almost certainly leave in this window. So there’s competition in midfield.

Aouar would be competing for minutes if Real Madrid were to sign him. But at 22, Aouar is one for the future despite already being a great midfielder in his own right.

Houssem Aouar would offer Real Madrid a lot

In terms of his skill-set, Aouar offers a lot that Real could use. He averaged 4.4 dribbles completed per game, 2.6 fouls drawn per match, and 1.4 key passes per game, according to WhoScored.com, in the Champions League. Aouar showed that at 22, he can take it to the very best teams in the world, recording at least four dribbles completed in the knockout stages against Juventus, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich.

Despite Aouar’s brilliance and potential, Real Madrid will have to either wait to sign him later or miss out on the player entirely. Because everyone knows about Aouar now. His performances in the Champions League knockout stages have skyrocketed his value; he is an open secret. Even in this market, he will cost well beyond 50 million euros.

Real Madrid simply don’t have that money lying around. And they have far bigger problems to address than their midfield, especially after bringing back Odegaard with Dani Ceballos as another young, quality option available for 2020-2021.

Los Blancos still need a primary goal-scorer to take the full load off Karim Benzema’s shoulders. Kylian Mbappe remains the top target, and Erling Haaland is on the list. Eduardo Camavinga is a better player, younger prospect, and fills a bigger need for Real than Aouar. If Real want to afford even two of those three players in the next three windows, they must save up now.

Aouar is a wonderful player. I dare say that he is world-class. But Real Madrid need to play the long game here. In any other summer, Aouar would be a great signing. In 2020, he is nothing but a dream for Madridistas.