Real Madrid: 3 reasons why the Eduardo Camavinga signing will become an even bigger steal

Real Madrid signed the best possible midfielder at an affordable price

Houssem Aouar and Eduardo Camavinga were the most readily available top midfielders for Real Madrid to sign this summer. Nicolo Barella and Paul Pogba were among those on the wishlist, but Barella was basically impossible after Inter sold both Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi. Meanwhile, Pogba is only a potential target for Real in 2022 if his contract runs out.

Aurelien Tchouameni was another young Ligue 1 midfielder on the transfer radar, but, at the end of the day, we really have to say Real Madrid signed the best possible midfielder they could have when you combine fit, age, upside, skill-set, and potential. At the price of 30 million euros, how can you beat that?

To compare, Arsenal paid 40 million euros for Martin Odegaard, who was not nearly this good at the same age. Nor was he as valuable to Madrid (apparently), since the club seems to want someone who can offer more defending and ball-carrying qualities in a three-man midfield. Odegaard was a playmaker Real didn’t really seem to want to make space for.

Camavinga is an immediate rotational piece who can meet starting expectations for Real Madrid when there are injuries, as there are right now with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric still out. At worst, he is their fifth-best midfielder. At best, he could even be fourth, in a midfield that includes a three-peat trio of world-class players.

Getting a proven top-five-league player with individual Champions League success at the age of 18 for that fee is extraordinary, especially when you consider that Real Madrid and Rennes both knew there weren’t better options available than him.