Appeared to be frustrated by the difficulty of signing Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is reportedly considering alternatives for a summer signing. On top of the list of the French manager is Eduardo Camavinga, a 17-year-old that has been making waves in Ligue 1.
The youngster has been on the scope of elite clubs in Europe and is thought to be a transfer target by French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Scouts by Los Blancos have reportedly sent back glowing reports on Camavinga, who is tied up with Rennes until 2022.
Marca reported that Zidane has thrown his full support to bring the young midfielder to Bernabeu the soonest. If a deal with finalized, Camavinga is touted to be the heir-apparent to Casemiro.
"A French call-up was planned for March, but the coronavirus has forced that to be delayed for now," claimed the report.
The teenage sensation is seen as a rising star in France's domestic competitions and impressed even more when his side defeated PSG in a recent game. Eyes have been trained on Camavinga ever since and it is believed Parc des Princes will want a piece of the Angola native.
Should Zidane make a bid on the youngster, the asking price set by Rennes is believed to be €80 million and before the coronavirus outbreak, Real was reported ready to present a proposal. However, the financial impact created by the health crisis could significantly reduce the amount that the Spanish giants would be willing to shell out.
"It remains to be seen how the transfer market bounces back from this pandemic, so Camavinga could be on the move for much less," said the same report.
Camavinga is emerging to be an alternative to Pogba, who has been signing target by Real since last year, according to Metro.
Said the report: "Zidane has given his full backing for Madrid to sign Camavinga, following the difficulty the club have faced with landing Pogba from Manchester United."
Pogba has been long rumored to jump from the Premier League to Spain, and a deal was supposedly agreed upon last summer but collapsed at the last minute. It appeared that the main issue then is United's asking price of £150 million that supposedly has remained unchanged to this date.
It's still unclear though if the successful signing of Camavinga will lead Real to drop Pogba from the club's shopping list given United's resolve that either the World Cup winner will stay through the end of his contract or interested clubs must pay the full asking price.
It should be noted, however, that Camavinga is still not a sure-ball signing for Bernabeu's side as other clubs are in active pursuit of the youngster. English clubs are also wooing the midfielder out of France, among them Arsenal, Liverpool, and the Red Devils.
