Real Madrid are reportedly eager to strengthen their midfield and add a player who can rotate with Casemiro while becoming a long-term replacement.
Los Blancos signed the 28-year-old in 2013, and after a spell with the B team as well as a loan stint with Porto, he has gone on to become a pivotal figure for the Spanish giants and for Brazil.
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Casemiro has made 35 or more appearances in each of the last five consecutive campaigns, making over 40 in three of those while he’s on course to do so again this season when it resumes.
That in itself tells a story of how crucial he has been for Real Madrid even with changes in the coaching staff, and while quality depth is needed in the short-term future, a long-term replacement could also be necessary to ensure the squad is well covered in that department when he enters the latter stages of his career.
According to AS, three names are currently on Real Madrid’s transfer radar to address that particular problem, and those are Eduardo Camavinga, N’Golo Kante and Boubakary Soumare who are said to be valued at €45m+, €80m and €24.5m respectively.
Kante is undoubtedly the most experienced and established option in that list and clearly the most expensive, although at 29 years of age, he’ll provide a new option in the more immediate future but isn’t quite a long-term option if that is the priority for Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
Meanwhile, both Camavinga and Soumare continue to impress this season and at 17 and 21 years of age respectively, they have their whole careers ahead of them still and could be vital pieces in a long-term strategy.
Time will tell which target Real Madrid go for and can land, but it seems as though they will look outside of the current squad and youth system to identify a solution.