Real Madrid: Why the Brahim Diaz loan is the best move for everyone

Brahim Diaz belongs to the category of Real Madrid players who have immense talent but have never been given proper opportunities. After a first spell at Real Madrid where he saw just 599 minutes across a season and a half, Brahim left the club on loan for AC Milan. He had a fairly successful campaign for the Rossoneri, playing a key role in their pursuit for Champions League football at the fag end of the season.

Since his loan deal has ended, Brahim Diaz has now returned to Real Madrid, and his name is visible on the list of current players on the official club website. But this means nothing, as the club are looking forward to start selling or loaning out players to minimise the number of first-team players from 35 to 25. And Brahim Diaz is on the list of players whom the club wants to let go of, with AC Milan keen to get the player on loan for another year, but this time with a buyout clause included.

According to the busiest man in the summer, Fabrizio Romano, Brahim Diaz will join AC Milan for another season on loan, and the deal might be confirmed in the coming days. The buyout clause for Milan is said to be around €25 million, and Real Madrid might include a buyback clause worth €30-31 million. Another highly reliable Italian Journalist, Gianluca Di Marzio reports the same, though the number of clauses mentioned varies slightly.

The buy-back clause for Real Madrid makes a big difference

Looking at the way Brahim Diaz has performed in the 2020/21 season, it’s natural for any fan to ask for his continuity at Real Madrid. I’m personally a great fan of him, and I believe he should get a proper chance here. Some might say that he deserves a second chance, but to be fair he never got a proper first chance to be given a second one. Not to forget that he gave his hundred percent whenever he got a chance in his first term and was highly impressive. And looking at Real Madrid’s attacking problems, Brahim Diaz might be a decent solution.

But he’s still a rough diamond, and there’s a need for him to develop some aspects of his game, particularly his decision-making and physicality. At this stage, he might be ready to play for Real Madrid, but he might not be completely ready to succeed at Real Madrid. And in all honesty, Real Madrid is never the ideal place for the development of a youngster, because the pressure is so high that it might impact the player’s growth at a tender age.

And considering the competition from Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard, Lucas Vazquez, and possibly Gareth Bale for next season, Brahim might not get the minutes he needs for his growth. So, it’s fair for him to desire a loan move to a club where he has already played for a season and has adapted to the team. Considering the fact that he will also get to play Champions League football, this move might be a great idea from Real Madrid’s point of view if they see him as a player who can be useful in the future.

But the problem arises with the existence of a buyout clause in the deal, something which wasn’t there in the initial loan deal. And €25 million for a 21-year-old player with such a huge potential might be a steal for Real Madrid. If he convinces the Milan board led by Paolo Maldini that he’s good enough to be signed permanently, the Rossoneri might activate his buyout clause. This makes the deal ideal for Milan, as they would be benefitting the most from this deal.

But Real Madrid do have a buyback clause included, which eases some of the tension. Though the club might be looking to use every penny generated from every sale for the signing of Kylian Mbappe, Brahim Diaz is a player whom the club shouldn’t be letting go of. If Brahim’s performances impress the board so very much that they are desperate to bring him back and give him a greater role, they could easily do so by activating the buyback clause.

Keeping these factors in mind, I see the deal as an ideal one for all the parties involved. Each party is benefitting from this in one way or the other. But Brahim is the guy with the responsibility of shaping his future, and only his performances and his future choice might give us the answer of who’s the real winner of this deal, in the future.