Chelsea tried to lure Real Madrid prospect away from club
Real Madrid and Chelsea are two of the titans of European football, having met in the Champions League knockout stages in each of the past two years. The Blues would go on to win the 2020/21 tournament after knocking out the Merengues, while Madrid are in this year’s final against Liverpool after beating Chelsea and Manchester City in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
But the battles between Madrid and Chelsea often extend to the transfer market. Think of all the great players who have been at both clubs. From stars of the past like Claude Makelele and Arjen Robben to current Real Madrid players Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, plenty of players have made the switch between clubs. Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic cut his teeth at the Santiago Bernabeu, too. Just recently, Antonio Rudiger has agreed to move to Madrid on a free transfer.
Even now, we have seen the likes of Eder Militao linked to Chelsea, while Real have eyes on one of Chelsea’s young stars in defense, Reece James, as a dream transfer target.
In terms of concrete approaches, though, there has just been one clear maneuver to sign a player away. And that reportedly comes from Chelsea.
Alejandro Jimenez could be important to Real Madrid’s future at RB
Per Goal.com’s Jorge C. Picon, Chelsea were prepared to offer around one million euros to sign top prospect Alejandro Jimenez from Real Madrid, but the young wide man decided to reject the approach from the Blues to stay in Madrid.
Most Real Madrid prospects do this. They do not wish to leave the club. You will see very few players in Madrid leave for a big club elsewhere before they get their first-team chance, and the 17-year-old Jimenez can be added to that list.
The Spanish youth international, per Picon, is extended through 2024/25 after signing a recent deal and could be extended for a further two years thereafter. That would indicate Real see him as important to their future.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich have also reportedly shown interest in Jimenez, but it seems as though the Blues were the most aggressive in their approach.
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It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Real’s prospects are wanted by big clubs elsewhere. This approach from Chelsea just reinforces what diehard Madridistas and scouting experts around Europe already know; Jimenez has a chance to be special.