Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Valencia captain Jose Gaya, who is also a target for local rivals Atletico Madrid.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Real Madrid are the latest entrants in the race to sign Jose Gaya in the summer transfer window. The reigning La Liga champions have joined local rivals Atletico Madrid in the race to sign the Spanish international, who is valued at around €50 million by Valencia.
Gaya broke into the Valencia first-team setup in 2012 and has now been a part of the senior side for nearly a decade. In this period, he has enjoyed an astronomical growth trajectory, having not only become a mainstay for Los Che, but also establishing a foothold in the Spanish international side.
Ahead of the ongoing campaign, Gaya was also promoted to the role of club captain, which points towards his importance at the club. Till date, Gaya has turned out 258 times for Valencia, chipping in with 6 goals and 28 assists. His progress has not gone unnoticed, with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid among his suitors.
At Real Madrid, the interest in Gaya makes a great deal of sense, considering Marcelo is in the final phase of his career and is likely to be offloaded in the summer transfer window. His departure would create the need of signing a replacement and to that end, the likes of Sergio Reguilon, Raphael Guerreiro and others have been linked with Los Blancos.
In Gaya, though, Real Madrid will have a player who is well-settled in La Liga and might not take a lot of time to acclimatise in the Spanish capital. Los Blancos, though, are providing competition to Atletico Madrid, who are not exactly satisfied with the performance levels of Renan Lodi.
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As a result, Yannick Carrasco has largely been utilised as a left wing-back by Diego Simeone, although the Belgian has done well for the most part, as was most recently evident this week versus Barcelona. Speaking of, the Blaugrana have also been linked with Gaya lately and could well join Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in his pursuit.
In fact, there have been murmurings of a potential offer from Barcelona, meaning a three-way race for Gaya could be setting up. However, in order to prise him away from Valencia, an offer of over €50 million would be needed. What now remains to be seen is if Real Madrid can beat Atletico Madrid and other suitors in pursuit of Gaya this summer.
