€75m valuation 

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For years, Kenan Yıldız has been one of the most coveted youngsters in the world and Real Madrid are the latest club to be linked with the Turkish international. According to Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Madrid are interested in signing the Juventus star this summer as they aim to avenge their nightmare season with Barcelona dominant again in Spain.

The report states that Yıldız is Florentino Pérez’s dream signing this summer and the longstanding Madrid president yields substantial influence at the Spanish giants. The mooted move to Los Blancos would reunite Yıldız with his international colleague Arda Güler, which would delight supporters in Türkiye. The 21-year-old, however, recently penned a long-term contract extension at Juventus, so we’ve explained why Yıldız joining Madrid this summer must be viewed as extremely unrealistic.

Why Kenan Yıldız to Real Madrid doesn’t make sense

Firstly, it’s imperative to start by highlighting that Yıldız only committed his future to Juventus in February by signing a new deal until 2023. I Bianconeri rolled the red carpet out to convince the starlet to remain in Turin with Alessandro Del Piero prominent in the announcement and they made him one of the highest paid players at the club. Yıldız is viewed as the future of Juve as they aim to return to former glories and he wasn’t short of suitors, so there was no pressure to sign. Yıldız spoke affectionately about his love for the club with Juve reaffirming their ambition to become one of the best clubs in Europe. The Turkish international is the figurehead for their aspirations and Juve are under no financial pressure to sell their prized asset.

It’s therefore almost impossible to envisage a scenario where Yıldız leaves Juve just months after signing a new deal. That position could only realistically alter this summer if the Old Lady fail to qualify for the Champions League, which remains a realistic possibility. With just three Serie A games remaining, Juve currently sit fourth but there’s a fierce battle for the final qualification position with Roma just one point behind and Como two. Even if they fail to secure the financial windfall from qualifying for the most prestigious club competition, Juve wouldn’t be under pressure to sell but Yildiz could begin to question his future. So as explained, it’s very unlikely that Juve would consider a sale this summer and do Madrid really need him?

Do Real Madrid need Kenan Yildiz?

Losing a game is often enough to spark a perceived crisis at Madrid but they are currently submerged by problems. They don’t currently have a manager for next season, there’s significant dressing room unrest fuelled by Kylian Mbappé, players are reportedly fighting each other and Vinicius Junior’s contract situation needs to be sorted. There’s also the small issue of Barcelona winning the title in El Clasico this weekend. Madrid currently have the most valuable squad in the world but it remains unbalanced and requires surgery this summer, but the priority isn’t a new-left winger – unless Vini Jr leaves.

The Brazilian’s future is a hot topic as he enters the last year of his contract at Madrid this summer and a decision needs to be made. If Vini leaves then it could create an opening on the left-wing but that’s also Mbappé’s preferred position, which has already caused tensions. Yildiz can also play behind a striker but Madrid have Güler and Jude Bellingham for that role and there’s also Nico Paz. The Argentinian international will re-join Madrid in the summer as they activate their buy-back clause.

Paz has been outstanding at Como under the tutelage of Cesc Fabregas and he’s produced more consistent performances in Serie A this season than Yildiz – as illustrated above, his attacking output is also superior. Whoever is the new Madrid manager will need to accommodate Paz into their plans and with other positions badly needing reinforcements, it makes little sense to splurge a fee in excess of €80m for Yildiz – unless Vini Jr leaves.

The view from Italy

To gain the perspective from Italy, we spork to Jatin Dietl, Transfermarkt’s Serie A expert. “From a financial perspective, Juventus are not in a position where they need to sell in order to survive, even without Champions League revenue,” said Dietl. “However, generating funds would be necessary to finance incoming transfers. That said, selling Yildiz to reinvest in other players would likely trigger a strong backlash from the Juventus fanbase and it doesn’t seem very likely.”

He continued: “As a result, the only realistic scenario for a transfer would be if the player himself were to push for a move. At the moment, that does not appear to be a likely development. Still, player decisions can be unpredictable, and major tournaments such as the World Cup have the potential to significantly reshape the market.”