Real Madrid: Eduardo Camavinga is absolutely worth the price

Eduardo Camavinga is a player Real Madrid absolutely must make every effort to sign in the 2021 summer transfer window.

Real Madrid have long placed Kylian Mbappe at the top of their transfer wishlist, understanding that any operation to acquire the PSG superstar must be undertaken delicately and will involve a sum of money approaching 200 million euros. Los Blancos have thus saved carefully for Mbappe and have navigated their approach with even more caution, lest they run afoul of PSG.

But aside from Mbappe, there is another player whom Real Madrid must regard as a must-sign in the 2021 transfer window. Like Mbappe, is a young star in Ligue 1 who has shown that he can play at the highest level, with all the qualities a player would need to excel at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Eduardo Camavinga first turned heads early in the 2019-2020 season as a 16-year-old, because he stood toe-to-toe with PSG’s world-class midfield. His impressive performances early in the season stuck, and Camavinga has since grown and progressed.

Just 18 years old, Camavinga is the best young midfielder in the world. He could very well be the best player in the world under the age of 21, judging by his all-around game. Camavinga was one of Ligue 1’s leaders in defensive interventions last season, and, this season, he’s looked even better as a passer and attacking presence for both club and country.

Yet Marco Ruiz of AS recently wrote that Camavinga could be purchased for between 40 and 50 million euros. If that’s the case, then he would be an absolute bargain next season. It is honestly difficult to fathom how such a talented young midfielder could be that cheap.

Real Madrid must have the funds or set aside the funds to make that purchase. Camavinga is worth almost double that sum even in this market, because he is a box-to-box midfielder who can play at a high level in all phases of the game. He has 2.5 tackles per game in Ligue 1, has completed a little over 90 percent of his passes, and is winning 1.4 dribbles per game. Last season, per WhoScored.com, he had an astounding 4.2 tackles per game and 1.4 interceptions per game.

Camavinga is the midfielder Real Madrid needs. As often as they’ve been linked to Paul Pogba and as impressive as another Ligue 1 star Houssem Aouar is,  Camavinga is the future for Los Blancos. He can be support for Casemiro as a defensive midfielder or add quality at another center midfield position, forming a partnership with Fede Valverde that could dominate European football for the next decade.

Players like that shouldn’t cost just 50 million euros, but if Real can get Camavinga for that much, they’ll have completed one tremendous deal. I get that it’s a different market and a different position, but Real paid the same amount of money for Rodrygo Goes and 10 million euros more for Luka Jovic in 2019. Camavinga is more proven than Rodrygo and has even more long-term potential than Jovic.

And let’s say Camavinga ends up costing more than that. Maybe Rennes have a favorable negotiating position, Camavinga has a huge second-half of the year, or PSG or Bayern start a bidding war. If his price goes back to 80 million euros, Camavinga is still worth it. Because it all goes back to his age and quality. Who else has his potential and all-around ability that Real could conceivably sign in 2021 and 2022? Nobody. For that reason, he is worth any reasonable price.

It’s remarkable to think that he was just 17 when he established himself as a top midfielder in one of Europe’s top five leagues. Camavinga is a long-term solution for Real in midfield and a source of energy and technical class that is rare to find in a player of his age. If Real don’t think that’s worth 40 to 50 million euros (or even a little bit more), then they will have made a serious mistake. His affordable price makes him an even bigger priority for Los Blancos in 2021.