Real Madrid find themselves in that classic football club situation where they want to buy someone new but their squad is already rammed full of players doing similar jobs. According to sources speaking to ESPN, José Mourinho is keen to add a midfielder to the Real Madrid setup, but the club has made it clear that nobody is coming in until somebody goes out first. Sensible enough on paper, though it does rather depend on finding a buyer.
The name being mentioned most prominently as a potential departure is Eduardo Camavinga. The young Frenchman has plenty of ability and has shown it in flashes, but consistent game time has been hard to come by at the Bernabéu. When you have Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde all competing for minutes in the same area of the pitch, someone is always going to be the one left out in the cold. At this point it looks like that someone is Camavinga.
Mourinho, being the man he is, will absolutely have a specific target in mind for that midfield spot. He rarely does vague when it comes to transfer requests. The question is whether Real Madrid can move Camavinga on quickly enough and for a fee that makes everyone happy. At 21 years old he should have no shortage of suitors, and plenty of clubs across Europe would fancy their chances of getting the best out of him with a bit more regular football.
From a neutral point of view this is just smart squad management being applied a bit later than it probably should have been. You cannot keep stacking midfielders on top of each other and expect harmony. Even the most patient player eventually wants to know where he stands, and Camavinga deserves a clear answer one way or another.
Whether Mourinho gets his man before the window slams shut remains to be seen, but Real Madrid moving with a sell-first policy at least shows someone in that building has a bit of financial discipline. Let me know your thoughts.