Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is reportedly keen on a potential swoop for Monaco youngster Benoit Badiashile as a possible long-term defensive reinforcement.
The 19-year-old has made a positive impression after coming through the youth ranks at Monaco, as he has now gone on to make 46 appearances for the senior side since his breakthrough in the 2018/19 campaign.
With Sergio Ramos set to turn 35 next March coupled with the lack of quality depth in the centre-half positions, that is arguably an obvious area in which the reigning La Liga champions could improve with a long-term view in mind.
According to AS, that’s exactly what they could be looking at as it’s suggested that Zidane is keen on Badiashile in particular and the youngster has been identified as a possible solution in that department.
It’s added though that he could be valued between €35m and €40m, and so it remains to be seen if that’s enough to put Real Madrid off and force them to look elsewhere, with Dayot Upamecano, Gabriel Magalhaes and Mohammed Salisu all specifically noted as other targets on their transfer radar.
Nevertheless, the report above suggests that Zidane is keen on Badiashile as he could follow a similar path to compatriot Raphael Varane by moving to the Bernabeu, while the fact that he’s left-footed would also bring a much-needed balance to the heart of the Real Madrid backline.
In turn, there are seemingly a number of key reasons in favour of such a swoop, but given the economic impact of the pandemic, it remains to be seen just how much Real Madrid splash out this summer to improve their squad off the back of a title-winning campaign.