One of the primary targets for Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane coming summer transfer window will be to replace the ageing legs in the club. The La Liga giants have enjoyed a superclub status across the world for the past few years, with the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe taking the club to great heights.
And now with them slowly stepping towards the twilight of their career, it is time that the club looks for some fresh blood to take over the mantle in the next few years. And the manager seems to have found one such candidate in Liverpool player Joe Gomez.
According to reports, Real Madrid are planning to table a bid for Liverpool’s 19-year-old English defender with an aim to land him in the next transfer window. Apparently, there are claims in Spain that Real Madrid manager and legend is a huge admirer of Gomez and even has ‘weakness for him’. This would definitely come as a shock for the player who has quite honestly failed to impress at Anfield since his arrival in 2015.
The Reds had picked him up from Charlton for a mere £3.5m after his impressive displays led many to tout him as the next big sensation in English football. But, to his misfortune, he had to face a large chunk of that season (12 months) on the sidelines after he injured his anterior cruciate ligament.
It also took a hit to his national career as his caps were limited to just 3 for the England U-21, where he made his debut in 2015. The defender could appear only five times in the Premier League games for Liverpool and another five in other competitions in the 2015/16 campaign. And as far as this season is concerned, he has managed just three big outings in the FA Cup and mostly featuring for the Under-23s.
The fact that manager Jurgen Klopp has opted for other defenders over him despite Liverpool’s defence being highly criticised for repeatedly faltering, indicates a strained relationship. A move is imminent if Madrid comes calling for his services, and if he manages to impress them, which all expects him to, he might get more of first team chances at Santiago Bernabeu.
La Liga isn’t as competitive as the Premier League and Zidane won’t mind throwing him against sides where his men are usually winning by six goals. And with Pepe looking to depart at the end of the season, his chances of making it increases all the more.
