Real Madrid rejected €90m Valverde bid
FT Desk
- 24 Aug 2022 09:54 BST
- 3 min read
Federico Valverde has been attracting interest from the Premier League, but Real Madrid are determined to hold on to their nascent Uruguayan winger.
Valverde has stiff competition for a place on the right of Carlo Ancelotti's preferred three-man attack. While Karim Benzema's and Vinicius Junior's spots are non-negotiable, Valverde has had to work hard to complete the set.
Marco Asensio was the next most used player last season while Rodrygo scored five times on Real's run to Champions League glory. Eden Hazard has struggled to impress since his €146 million arrival from Chelsea, but he remains in the mix too.
🚂 @fedeevalverde INCOMING!@LaLigaEN | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/RmFniuNl9z
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) August 23, 2022
But Valverde has pulled to the front of the queue for Ancelotti this season, and has started each of their three competitive games - a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the European Super Cup as well as victories over Almeria and Celta Vigo in La Liga.
Big money bids turned down
And according to Real Madrid journalist Tomas Gonzalez-Martin, the 24-year-old Uruguayan is now almost untouchable at the Bernabeu, with Real turning down offers that have come in from Premier League clubs of up to €90m for the talented wide man.
Valverde extended his contract with Real until 2027 last year, and it has a release fee of €1 billion.
How good is Valverde?
Previously a right-midfielder who looked like he might get converted to right-back, Valverde joined Real's youth academy from Penarol in 2016 and became a full Uruguay international just a year later.
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He had to be more patient to make progress sat club level, though, spending 2017/18 on loan at Deportivo la Coruna and only becoming a fixture in Real's senior set up in late 2019.
But he is now a firm favourite of Ancelotti's, his hard running and tactical awareness providing a platform for others to flourish. Valverde averaged eight progressive carries per 90 minutes last season, and had three shot-creating actions per game.
