da brwin： Manchester City have made enquiries to Real Madrid over the possible signing of midfielder Fede Valverde, per TEAMtalk.
Manchester City transfer news – Fede Valverde
da doce： The arrival of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid has meant English clubs including City have checked in on the potential availability of the Uruguay star.
TEAMtalk claim that the Premier League champions, as well as Chelsea and Liverpool, have all made enquiries with the LaLiga giants about Valverde and to those close to the player, but the message that Valverde does not want to leave, and that Real do not want to sell either.
Valverde has won a haul of trophies with Los Blancos, including LaLiga twice and the Champions League once. He also added the Copa Del Rey to his trophy cabinet this season.
This season, his game time was split almost equally between a central midfield role and one on the right wing.
With the potential for City to lose both Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva this summer, Valverde could be a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola and with newfound competition in the engine room at the Bernabeu, this rumour is surely likely to rumble on throughout the summer.
Valverde could be the perfect Bernardo Silva replacement
Valverde has been crucial to Real Madrid in recent years, this includes an assist for Vinicius Jr’s Champions League final-winning goal against Liverpool in 2022.
The 24-year-old machine joined Los Blancos' academy in 2016 from Uruguayan club Penarol for a mere £4.5m, and it is now worth an estimated €150m (£129m), according to CIES Football Observatory
England and Chelsea legend Joe Cole spoke glowingly of Valverde’s quality on BT Sport as he compared him to the incoming Bellingham.
“He’s at the top of the young players alongside Jude Bellingham, and he’s about to become the best," the pundit said. “We talk a lot about Bellingham in England, but this kid is as good as he is.”
Silva has been linked with moves away from the Etihad this summer, most notably to clubs in Saudi Arabia. Gundogan, meanwhile, is closing in on a move to Madrid's rivals Barcelona, meaning Guardiola will have a lack of options in midfield.
If the Spaniard does lose a player of Silva’s quality, Valverde would be one hell of a replacement.
It’s hard to understate the importance of Silva since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium from Monaco in 2017. The winger has played over 300 games for the Citizens, contributing as many as 55 goals and 59 assists, per Transfermarkt.
The wide-man has also made 82 appearances for his native Portugal, and has won almost all there is to win in English football during his time at the Etihad Stadium. Silva is a five-time Premier League winner, two-time FA Cup winner, and four-time League Cup winner. Now after defeating Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul, he is also a Champions League and treble winner with the Citizens.
If Silva does leave, Valverde must be a top priority, given the similarities in playing position and statistical profile.
As per FBref, the Madrid maestro ranks among the top 5% of all midfielders across Europe's top-five divisions over the last year for non-penalty expected goals and assists, averaging 0.39 per 90. This is actually more than Silva in Guardiola's squad. Both are in the top 9% for progressive carries per 90, with the City man just getting the nod.
Having been lauded as an "absolute machine" by journalist Raj Chohan, the Uruguyauan star poses clear and obvious qualities that will be of interest to Guardiola and his coaching staff and if Silva were to leave the Etihad, then this tentative interest must be revisited with a firmer force.
If any club right now has the pulling power to change Valverde’s mind, it’s Man City and Guardiola.