Real Madrid seem to value Kai Havertz more highly than initially expected.
While Real Madrid don’t need another attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz is a special player.
He’s shown time after time at Bayer Leverkusen that he is on a trajectory to being one of the best overall players in European football, and he has Bayer in position to qualify for the Champions League again this season.
Havertz won’t be easy to sign, though. Los Blancos reportedly offered 80 million euros to Bayer for their superstar player, but the Bundesliga side rejected the offer.
They will hold out for 100 million euros and not a cent less, which is understandable. It’s the same approach Borussia Dortmund are taking with another world-class young player on Real’s radar in Jadon Sancho.
According to a report from Defensa Central, Los Merengues are prepared to offer three players who will not be starters in 2020-2021 – or any other time in the near future – in order to acquire the versatile Leverkusen star.
Those players are attacking midfielder Oscar Rodriguez, striker Mariano Diaz, and right back Alvaro Odriozola.
Oscar is in the midst of a tremendous season as Leganes’ leading scorer, and he can bang in worldies from well beyond the box.
Leverkusen should be interested. They should also like Mariano, though he could still have use to Real based on the efficiency of his scoring.
Finally, Odriozola would be a massive upgrade at right back for Bayer. He hasn’t fit in at Real Madrid, but the club would ideally like to loan him elsewhere for one more year. Odri was loaned to another Bundesliga side, Bayern Munich, during the winter transfer window, but there’s no way he’s getting much playing time behind the reliable World Cup hero Benjamin Pavard.
Packaging all three players would greatly reduce the cash cost for Real. They want Havertz and will likely have to wait until 2021 to sign him. But if Bayer like these three players – and that’s a reasonable “if”, since only Odriozola would be a sure-fire starter – then maybe Los Blancos could make a blockbuster move work.