Real Madrid were very close to signing €85 million star

Real Madrid signed Aurelien Tchouameni in the summer from AS Monaco in a big money deal and he has proven to be worth every last penny. The Frenchman has been outstanding since joining the club and it is hard to believe how seamlessly he has moved into the starting XI, and replaced a legend like Casemiro, with the Brazilian joining Manchester United in the summer.

There is another midfielder that the club are believed to have been close to signing as well, but it did not happen. And in hindsight, that has proven to be costly for Real Madrid.

As reported by Marca, Real Madrid were very close to signing Enzo Fernandez but did not do so due to two reasons. Firstly, there was no free non-EU spot in their squad at that point. Second, there were doubts about the Argentine midfielder’s adaptation period in Europe.

Fernandez ended up joining Benfica from River Plate for a transfer fee believed to be around €12 million instead and has been an absolute revelation since then.

Real Madrid were very close to signing Argentine

Benfica might have signed Fernandez for a transfer fee around €12 million but following his performances for both club and country, as well as the rising interest in his signature, fresh rumours have suggested that the Portuguese giants will seek a figure in the range of €80 million to €85 million for the Argentine.

Real Madrid are not the only club who have been linked with him in recent times, as some of Europe’s biggest clubs are believed to have taken notice of the Argentine over the last few months. He has impressed at the World Cup as well and scored against Mexico.

For Real Madrid, both those issues have been solved. They have all three non-EU spots free and there are no doubts over Fernandez’s ability to adapt to the European game anymore.