As Real Madrid continue to search for a fourth and final defensive signing to complete a whole new back four, so to speak, for new manager Jose Mourinho, they are ramping up their search for a new starting defensive midfielder who can be an upgrade on Aurelien Tchouameni, with the club's resident boxer's future being entirely open to interpretation at this point.
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea appears to be the leading candidate to join Real Madrid due to his experience and interest in the club, but he is also the most expensive, with Chelsea potentially wanting a whopping 120-150 million euros for one of their own record transfers.
But there is another name Real Madrid fans are most intrigued by. After Ayyoub Bouaddi put the Brazil national team on skates and made Real Madrid legend Casemiro and elite Newcastle Unitd midfielder Bruno Guimaraes look like children from the school yard, the Moroccan international's name became a hot topic around the Valdebebas.
Real Madrid's best gamble is coming into view
It will be another tough race between Real Madrid and PSG to sign this 18 year old jewel from Lille, but Real Madrid will like their chances. Lille, of course, know what they have in Bouaddi, who was already on PSG's radar and rated very highly in France before the entire world got to know his name in the first game of the World Cup.
According to a report from Sky Sports Germany, via the Madrid Zone, Lille are setting another high asking price for one of their teenage jewels, just as they did a couple of years ago with Leny Yoro. Lille want 70 million euros for Ayyoub Bouaddi, making him as expensive as a potential transfer for Inter Milan's Serie A winning center back Alessandro Bastoni, one of the best in the world.
But Bouaddi plays a premium position in the defensive midfield and has traits that not even Aurelien Tchouameni displayed when he was a few years his senior at Monaco - and Real Madrid ended up splurging more than 80 million euros on the Frenchman, who has not been remotely worth that kind of money thus far.
Real Madrid fans are not at all scared of the price tag the Ligue 1 powerhouse sellers are asking for Bouaddi, because they see him as a special prospect and someone with more raw talent and upside than Enzo Fernandez at potentially 50 million euros less of the cost. And Bouaddi's asking price is also significantly less than what relegated West Ham United are asking for Mateus Fernandes. Of course, those two players are also older than Bouaddi.
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