Real Madrid head into the 2021/22 season with a hint of uncertainty on several key factors after Zinedine Zidane stepped down from his role.
Los Blancos now face an uncertain time in terms of appointing a new manager after Max Allegri decided to sign for Juventus instead and also are unclear on their position of signing Kylian Mbappe as Zidane was a major influencing factor in luring the 22-year-old to the Santiago Bernabeu. There is now a shadow of doubt cast upon the Spanish capital over the possible signing of Mbappe.
With that being said, according to Carlos Carpio of Marca, Real Madrid have come up with a plan B or fallback plan in other words, if they fail to sign Kylian Mbappe.
The 22-year-old winger is valued at 160 million euros on the transfer market and if Paris Saint-Germain are open to selling him then it will be a bidding war that Los Blancos simply cannot participate in. This makes it an unfavourable condition for Real who have hit a bad patch financially after the pandemic.
Why should Real Madrid not go all out for Erling Haaland this summer?
The plan B is to go all out for Borussia Dortmund’s hitman, Erling Haaland. The 21-year-old striker has scored 41 goals in 41 appearances this season for the Black and Yellows and is undoubtedly on the same podium as Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski as the best strikers in the world.
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However, does Real Madrid really require Erling Haaland at the moment? In short, No, Real Madrid does not require the services of the Norwegian at the moment. Even though Erling Haaland can guarantee the club 30-40 goals a season, his signing is not something the club actually needs right now.
The priority should be the left-wing that has been an underwhelming flank while attacking as Eden Hazard has barely been available and Vinicius Jr still lacks a finishing touch. Kylian Mbappe is the kind of player Los Blancos need at the moment as he can fill in the gap on the left-wing.
Haaland’s arrival will only make matters complicated. What will happen to Karim Benzema if Haaland signs? Do we play a 4-4-2 then to accommodate both of them? If we switch to a 4-4-2 then what happens to our iconic midfield trio as only two players can play as the central midfielders.
The 4-4-2 would also mean that Karim Benzema would have to play deeper which is a position that the Frenchman thrives in and is comfortable. However, if he continues playing the supporting cast role to Haaland, the 33-year-old might lose his instinctive goal-scoring form that has been consistent for the past three seasons.
Real Madrid can wait until 2022 to sign Haaland for just 75 million euros
Apart from the technical aspect, just dealing with Mino Raiola would also be another issue for Real Madrid. The contract that Raiola would demand would certainly be over the roof and it would lead to unnecessarily prolonged weeks of negotiations to come to a common ground.
With that being said, the best option would be to write Haaland off the books. If Real Madrid does consider signing the Norwegian then it should be in the summer of 2022 when his 75 million euro release clause is activated and Karim Benzema’s contract also runs out. That way, Los Blancos can sign an ideal replacement for Benzema for a song.