Real Madrid Transfers: Top Dortmund prospect could be available this summer

Real Madrid are on the hunt for attacking talent. After Kylian Mbappe played them to receive a fat signing bonus and decision-making power with PSG, Real have an open slot for a talented young forward, assuming they are able to get rid of two of the three unwanted forwards: Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz, and Marco Asensio. There is even renewed optimism that all three could be transferred this summer.

But who to sign? Two players are possible, a right winger and a striker. Carlo Ancelotti has already made it clear behind the scenes that he wants a new backup striker for Karim Benzema, as he very much did not trust either Jovic or Mariano. And why would he?

Los Blancos will weigh signing someone with experience or signing a young player with superstar potential. One player who has been linked to Real Madrid this summer is Dortmund teenager Youssoufa Moukoko, who is a record-setting prospect. He is the youngest goal-scorer in Bundesliga history, the youngest German U21 scorer ever, and the youngest player to ever appear in a Champions League fixture. Incredible, right?

However, Moukoko’s start to life with the senior team has not gone as planned. Like Real Madrid loanee Reiner Jesus, Moukoko had a hard time getting minutes under new manager Marco Rose. Dortmund sacked Rose, replacing him with the interim manager who won the DFB Pokal in 2020/21, the beloved Edin Terzic.

Youssoufa Moukoko is not extending his contract with Dortmund

Unfortunately for BVB, that has not changed things with Moukoko as of yet. The manager move led to optimism that Moukoko would backtrack on clearly wanting to leave this summer in search of minutes, and while the transfer rumors have cooled, Ruhr Nachrichten’s Kevin Pinnow reports that contract negotiations between Borussia Dortmund and Youssoufa Moukoko have stalled.

If that sounds familiar, then it’s because another Bundesliga transfer target on the Real Madrid radar, Serge Gnabry, is available for purchase after stalling his negotiations with Bayern Munich for the last few months.

So it stands to reason that Moukoko is waiting on Dortmund in order to get leverage for himself, to see if someone wants to submit a transfer offer. And if the right club does, Moukoko could try to force BVB’s hand into a move.

Real Madrid are watching, and while it may behoove them to wait before making a move, it could be that Los Blancos strike a deal on loan with a purchase clause as both a safeguard and as a way of maintaining a relationship with Dortmund. Real and Dortmund have a great relationship and mutually must maintain that, so if Real do want Moukoko, working on a deal that respects BVB would be of paramount importance. For a loan to happen, Moukoko would have to extend, but he may be more amicable if Real want him.

With contract negotiations stalling, Moukoko now joins Jude Bellingham as a supremely gifted young player worth Real Madrid’s attention. He could become available this summer and would be much cheaper than Bellingham, who is a potential 80 million euro target for 2023. Moukoko is a lot less proven and may not be trusted by Carlo Ancelotti in 2022/23, but if Juni Calafat has a high opinion of him, you never know what could happen. Keep an eye on Moukoko’s situation, just in case.

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Ideally, Los Blancos would want Moukoko after 2022, because he isn’t quite ready for their first team and needs the minutes. But they could work on a handshake deal to help Dortmund keep their player. Again, you never know what Madrid has cooked up, and Moukoko is a special talent like Endrick or Mathus Nascimento in Brazil. His situation is of interest to Madridistas. Los Blancos could very well sign Moukoko and then loan him themselves, if the player is really that steadfast on not staying with Dortmund due to a total loss of trust in the perennially underperforming club.