Heading into the 2021/22 season, Real Madrid have a major problem to address over the summer on how to rebuild the frontline, especially the wing. Karim Benzema has stepped up in the past three seasons, however, his counterparts in the likes of Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio, and Vinicius Jr have been underwhelming with their contributions upfront.
Asensio in particular has struggled this season and was ineffective for the vast majority. The 25-year-old found the back of the net seven times in all competitions after recovering from an ACL injury last season. From the seven goals, four of them were scored in four consecutive games before his form withered away, highlighting his inconsistency.
Apart from his lack of effort on goal, Asensio has even struggled to get past opponents in La Liga. He’s not technically gifted like Eden Hazard or Vinicius Jr to operate in tight spaces nor does he have the pace of Gareth Bale to sprint down the half-line following his ACL injury.
His performances have seen him lose a place in Spain’s Euro 2020 squad after no Real Madrid player was selected by former Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique. The 25-year-old may lose his spot in the starting eleven next season at Real Madrid to Rodrygo Goes who has been far more effective when given the opportunity.
With that being said, Los Blancos will make an attempt to offload the former Espanyol winger in the coming summer transfer market. He is currently valued at 35 million euros, and Real could set an asking price around the ballpark of 40-50 million euros which seems like a fair deal. I have come up with a list of three potential clubs that Asensio could be playing for next season.
LIVERPOOL
The 2019/20 Premier League champions have had a tough run this season in the league and in Europe. Jurgen Klopp has faced the same fate that Zinedine Zidane had to deal with after losing several key players to injuries.
Liverpool’s front three also struggled and the lack of options from the bench apart from Diogo Jota has become a serious cause for concern for the Reds. Marco Asensio was linked with a move to Anfield a while ago and a potential move to the Premier League does not seem too bad.
The Spaniard could be an ideal backup for both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah since he can play on either flank and is certainly an upgrade over the Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri. However, Liverpool are also facing tough financial times and it is unlikely that they would want to sign Asensio on a permanent deal.
Real Madrid could do something like they did with James Rodriguez to Bayern Munich or Gareth Bale to Tottenham Hotspur. Asensio could be sent out on loan to Liverpool next season while his parent club pays at least 50% of his wages.
Although it is highly unlikely that Marco Asensio would be a success in the Premier League due to its physicality, the same was also said about a fragile Gareth Bale who was sent out on loan to Tottenham and managed to keep fit for a long duration while also scoring 16 goals in all competitions.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
This is another club where Marco Asensio could possibly rewrite his career after two tough enduring seasons at Real Madrid. Los Blancos are gunning for Kylian Mbappe this summer transfer market but there is a doubt of uncertainty on whether they can afford the signing of the 22-year-old.
The club will look to come up with ways to match PSG’s demand and will look into the option of selling a few deadwood players. Instead of selling Marco Asensio, Real could consider offering the winger as part of a swap deal. In the past, there were rumours about Vinicus Jr being included in a potential swap deal but were not reliable.
However, offering Asensio does not seem to be too bad. The 25-year-old could act as a backup to Neymar Jr and Angel Di Maria since he can play on either wing. Asensio can also play as a central attacking midfielder and compete for a spot with Julian Draxler in the eleven. There is an opportunity for Asensio to grow at PSG, it just depends if the Parisiens entertain a swap deal plus cash offer for Marco Asensio.
If Mauricio Pochettino continues at PSG after being linked as a replacement to Zinedine Zidane, Asensio could have a realistic shot at succeeding at Parc des Princes. Pochettino is one of the few managers that prefers using a number 10 in a free role and Neymar has often been the first choice. However, with Asensio in his squad, the Brazilian can focus more on the attack while the Spaniard can play through the centre and go either side while attacking or even have a shot from distance.
JUVENTUS
A reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo sounds nice, doesn’t it? The two were unstoppable in the 2016/17 season and played a pivotal role in winning the La Lig and Champions League. Well, those were some good days.
Coming back to Asensio moving to Juventus. There are mainly two reasons why Juve could consider signing the 25-year-old. The first reason, his market value is just 25 million euros and Juventus desperately require more quality wingers.
The second reason, the additions of Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa have been excellent, however, Juve are yet to exercise the purchase option in Chiesa contract who is on loan from Fiorentina. In my opinion, if Juve trigger the clause and then sign Asensio, it’s a win-win situation.
Chiesa gets to play from his preferred wing which is the right and Asensio gets to play from his preferred wing which is the left. The two can pair up and support the goal-scoring machine in the shape of Cristiano Ronaldo next season. Asensio could have to compete for a spot alongside Kulusevski, but it is unlikely that the latter would start ahead of the former from the left-wing.
A front three of Asensio, Ronaldo, and Chiesa seems fantastic and even better under Massimiliano Allegri who recently completed his return to Juventus.