Real Madrid are reportedly seeking a transfer fee of €30 million for midfielder Brahim Diaz, with AC Milan keen on a permanent deal for the Spaniard.
According to a report from Goal, Real Madrid have slapped a price tag of €30 million on Spanish playmaker Brahim Diaz amid serious interest from Serie A heavyweights AC Milan heading into the summer transfer window.
Diaz came through the youth ranks at Premier League club Manchester City and went on to make 15 appearances before Real Madrid snapped him up in January 2019. Since returning to Spain, though, the 21-year-old wasn’t able to feature regularly under Zinedine Zidane, as he managed only 21 appearances in his first eighteen months at the club, in which he scored twice and set up three more.
As a result, Diaz was loaned out to AC Milan in the summer last year, and the young midfielder has made the most of his opportunities in Italy. While he wasn’t among the most consistent of performers, the Spaniard still managed to produce a handy return of seven goals and four assists from 39 appearances across all competitions.
AC Milan are staring at the prospect of losing Hakan Calhanoglu, whose contract expires later this month. The Turkish international is reportedly in talks with Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona over a summer transfer. So, securing a natural replacement for him becomes imperative for the Rossoneri. With Diaz doing enough in his season on loan, they are now keen on snapping him up on a permanent transfer.
Real Madrid, for their part, are not willing to stand in their way of an exit for Diaz, although they have now set a transfer fee of €30 million for his services. In addition, the report claims that the Merengues want to insert a buyback clause in his contract because there is a belief within the club that he can still be a key player at the Bernabeu in the future.
As things stand, the prospect of another loan deal with an option to buy for Milan or a permanent transfer to San Siro, with Real Madrid having a buyback clause, looks the likeliest prospect for Diaz. It remains to be seen if the 21-year-old indeed returns to Italy for the upcoming campaign or ends up staying in Madrid, where competition for the attacking midfield slot will increase, with Martin Odegaard also returning from his loan spell at Arsenal.
