When Florentino Perez was first obsessed with bringing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, another young gem was shining in Ligue 1. OK, other than Rayan Cherki, whom Zinedine Zidane was a fan of all the way back in 2019, a 16 year old Eduardo Camavinga was making a name for himself as a dream transfer target by running circles around PSG at a time when Real Madrid needed midfield help.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Real Madrid from landing their No. 2 dream target behind Mbappe, but in the summer 2021 transfer window, Real finally broke their spell of not making a notable signing (other than the free transfer of David Alaba to replace a PSG bound Sergio Ramos), signing Camavinga for much less than expected to soften the blow of another summer without Mbappe.
Camavinga was an immediate success. It took him months to earn the trust of Carlo Ancelotti, but once he did, he delivered monster classes in the Champions League knockout stages to blanket the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City late in matches to help seal unforgettable Remontadas.
Eduardo Camavinga is trending to the Premier League
But now, in 2026, Camavinga is no longer seen as a young prospect. Real Madrid want to see growth and results, and with other profiles needed in midfield, Cama is not making enough progress. The mental side of his game has not developed, and with players like Thiago Pitarch blowing him away in their recognition of attacks and their ability to cover space defensively, Camavinga is now at a crossroads.
After a poor outing against Mallorca in which his problematic marking was partially responsible for the loss, MARCA's Pablo Polo now reports that Eduardo Camavinga is more out than in at Real Madrid. His sale is very much on the table, and though PSG were once thought to be major suitors for him, MARCA report that the Ligue 1 giants are also seemingly unimpressed. So if Camavinga were indeed to lave this summer, his ultimate destination would be the Premier League.
Again, Camavinga is still only 23. He has plenty of time to take that next step. But since he does not start every week at Real Madrid and barely showed the urgency to want to fight for his spot against Mallorca with Miguel Angel and Thiago Pitarch hot on his heels, that jump up may never occur at the Santiago Bernabeu. Like Martin Odegaard, Camavinga may be a great talent who truly finds his greatness at a club with less pressure and more room for starts in the Premier League.