Real Madrid have fallen below expectations and standards this season, and that could reportedly pave the way for major signings this summer.
Just a year on from winning the La Liga and Champions League double, Los Blancos are well off the pace in the title race behind leaders Barcelona, were eliminated early from the Copa del Rey and so now must focus on Europe to ensure that they don’t end up empty-handed this year.
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Given that they’ve won two of the last three finals, it’s not beyond them, but there have certainly been question marks raised about Zinedine Zidane and his squad this year.
In an apparent attempt to strengthen the squad, Mundo Deportivo have reported that they could be eyeing a raid on Valencia for Carlos Soler this summer, with the 20-year-old having an €80m release clause in his contract.
Sensibly though, as Soler simply can’t be considered worthy of such a massive investment so early in his career, it’s added that players could be inserted into the deal in exchange to lower his fee, with the likes of Marcos Llorente and Dani Ceballos said to be at risk.
The youngster has continued to make an impressive impact at Valencia though, as he has made 28 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring once and providing five assists.
On one hand, he’ll arguably have to sacrifice that prominent role if he chooses to pursue a move to the Bernabeu, as competition for places will be fierce.
Nevertheless, from a Madrid perspective, he’s a highly-talented young Spanish player, and with several fundamental individuals on the wrong side of 30 including the likes of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, they’ll undoubtedly benefit from having a long-term vision in mind when addressing key areas of the squad this summer.
It remains to be seen if Soler can be prised away, but based on this report, the capital giants have a significant offer in mind to make it happen.