Real Madrid hit stumbling block in race to sign 21-year-old Croatian prodigy: Reports
Real Madrid have reportedly suffered a setback in their pursuit of Croatian midfielder Martin Baturina. The player is said to have turned down their advancements. Baturina has emerged as one of the highly-rated youngsters in Croatia following his bright start to the 2024/25 season with Dinamo Zagreb.
Real Madrid have been struggling in the middle of the park since Toni Kroos' retirement. While they have Luka Modric to rely on, the midfield maestro is not getting any younger and needs someone to fill his shoes.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Real Madrid are keen on signing Martin Baturina from Dinamo Zagreb. They even approached him with a five-year contract but the 21-year-old midfielder turned it down. He reportedly wants to move to the Bundesliga.
Martin Baturina has had an impressive start to the 2024-25 season so far. He has already scored two goals and provided seven assists in 16 appearances across competitions.
Baturina is a product of Dinamo Zagreb academy, and rose through the ranks to debut for their senior side in 2021. His current market value is €20 million as per Transfermarkt.
Real Madrid struggling to replicate the highs of last season
The arrival of Kylian Mbappe hasn't quite helped Real Madrid maintain their performance levels from last season. Los Blancos had won the LaLiga and Champions League double in the 2023-24 term.
However, this season, they are currently nine points behind Barcelona on the LaLiga table. A 3-1 home loss to AC Milan on Tuesday, November 5, saw them drop to the 17th position on the Champions League table. The loss to Paulo Fonseca's men was Real Madrid's third defeat already this season, more than the entire last season (two losses).
Moreover, Los Merengues are yet to find the spark in their midfield since Kroos' retirement. Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, who were expected to take up Kross' mantle, have yet to prove a point this season.
The defeat to AC Milan further highlighted their midfield issues, with Tchouameni seemingly being the weakest link during the game. The Frenchman was the culprit for the first two Rossoneri goals.
First up, he barely jumped to challenge a cross from Christian Pulisic, which allowed Malick Thiaw to jump unopposed to power a header home. His misplaced pass then led to AC Milan's second goal, scored by Alvaro Morata.
Tchouameni's performance was far from his best and his substitution at half-time almost felt inevitable. Even when Ancelotti brought in fresh legs in Camavinga and Brahim Diaz, the changes had little impact.
Meanwhile, as per Fichajes, Los Blancos are ready to part ways with Tchoumeni in a swap plus cash deal with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez. Apart from the midfield, they also seem to lack cohesion as a team.