Real Madrid Transfers: Should Los Blancos sign Houssem Aouar this summer?

Real Madrid‘s midfield is aging, and there will be a team where they would have to change the core of their midfield in the near future. The gala midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro, who have won three back to back to back UEFA Champions League titles together, might be broken in the near future.

Luka Modric has renewed for another year and he is still playing at a sensational level at the age of 35, but the club has a replacement ready for him in the form of Fede Valverde, who didn’t take much time to impress the Madridistas. Casemiro and Kroos are still in their prime, but they would need replacements in the future. The development of Antonio Blanco and the constant links to Eduardo Camavinga does show some promise in the future of the defensive midfielder position.

With Isco’s departure looking imminent and Ødegaard’s situation still uncertain, Real Madrid may have to make some immediate changes to make to their midfield. Many names have been linked to Real Madrid, and one such name to have been linked with a move is that of Olympique Lyonnaise’s 22-year-old midfielder, Houssem Aouar.

The French international’s price tag has been set at 30 million, after Lyon’s unsuccessful attempts of selling Aouar for a higher price last summer. And this amount will definitely be a bargain for such a wonderful player in this highly inflated transfer market. And his signing can solve a huge problem for Real Madrid, as Aouar can be a perfect replacement for Isco.

Houssem Aouar has a lot of talent, and he is highly versatile

The 22-year-old is one of Lyon’s most prized assets. He is a fantastic dribbler and has the ability to get through defenders with ease. At the end of those dribbles, he usually releases one of his teammates onto goal with a killer pass or takes a shot himself, at the perfect moment. His press resistance is great, thanks to his excellent ball-retention skills and close control. He is a decent ball winner as well, and his work rate is fine for such an attack-minded midfielder.

What makes Aouar much more special is his versatility. He usually plays a left-sided central midfielder in a 4-3-3 system, but also has the ability and skill to play as a left-winger in the same system. And he also has the habit of playing as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1, with his wonderful skill-set and footballing IQ helping him to adapt to different positions with ease.

Looking at the talent of Aouar, it does feel like 30 million might really be a bargain for him. There might be many clubs going after him due to his low price tag. Real Madrid might have to face a bidding war with many PL clubs interested in Aouar, but the presence of Zinedine Zidane ( if he stays), who’s known to be a great fan of the player, might be key in the deal.

But there is a problem with the signing of Houssem Aouar

Aouar might be a highly talented player but at Real Madrid, a legend of the game plays in the position of a left-sided central midfielder, who’s none other than Toni Kroos. Toni Kroos is still 31 and performing at his best. He might still have a good two or three years in himself before he starts to decline as a footballer.

Aouar is 22-years-old and right now he’s a starter at Lyon. It’s natural that he would like to be a starter at his new club as well. But at Real Madrid, where a 4-3-3 is predominantly used with Toni Kroos as the LCM, Aouar might have to be a second-choice player. And before signing Aouar, Real Madrid must sort out the future of Dani Ceballos, who’s under contract and plays in the same position as Aouar. The Lyon man might not get chances on the left-wing as well, due to the presence of Eden Hazard and Vinicius Jr.

All this does complicate the signing of Aouar, but Real Madrid wouldn’t like to miss out on such a brilliant player like Aouar, that too for such a low price. They would like to sign him, groom him and prepare to use him as the starter after Kroos leaves, but for that to happen Aouar needs to have patience and understand that patience is the key to succeed at Real Madrid.

But in case Zinedine Zidane or any other incoming manager who takes charge if Zidane leaves prefers to use a four-man midfield as their main system for the next season, it would make things easier as Aouar can be accommodated as the fourth midfielder. It is a difficult task considering the number of wingers at Real Madrid, but it is not impossible nonetheless.

Aouar is a player whom Real Madrid wouldn’t like to miss out on. But before signing him, they need to explain his role to him and make everything clear to him before coming to an agreement – or look for an alternative in which Aouar can be a starter. Preferably the former option would be the better one.