Federico Valverde is one of the players in Real Madrid this season (Getty Images)
According to The Sun, Manchester United have added rising Real Madrid star Federico Valverde to their shortlist of potential targets amidst Paul Pogba’s uncertain future at Old Trafford.
Pogba has less than two years remaining on his current deal with the Red Devils and has kept his desire to play for the Los Blancos no secret. United are exploring the possibility of a potential swap deal involving the Frenchman and Valverde in the future. (h/t Sun)
However, prising the Uruguayan away from Madrid looks easier said than done, with the 22-year-old boasting a mammoth £640million buyout clause in his current deal at the Bernabeu that runs until the summer of 2025.
Federico Valverde was widely regarded as one of the best rising talents in Uruguay during his days in the youth ranks of Penarol. The central midfielder made just 13 first-team appearances for Penarol in all competitions before being snapped up by Real Madrid in the summer of 2016.
The 22-year-old was initially assigned to the club’s reserve side for whom he made 30 appearances during the 2016-17 season before being loaned out to fellow La Liga outfit Deportivo La Coruna to fast-track his development. Valverde made 24 league appearances on loan as his club suffered relegation from the top-flight.
The Uruguayan subsequently forced his way into Madrid’s first-team plans and made 25 appearances in all competitions over the course of the 2018-19 campaign. He featured more prominently last term, making 44 appearances on all fronts as the Los Blancos won the La Liga title.
A full international for Uruguay since 2017, Valverde has 22 caps under his belt and represented his nation at the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.
Pogba’s spell at Old Trafford might have been blighted by injuries and inconsistencies but his individual quality as a footballer certainly can’t be called into question. It is a no-brainer that United look a much better side with Pogba in the starting XI.
That he hasn’t always started games week in week out is another issue altogether, but United will surely have a massive void to fill if he ends up departing the club in the foreseeable future. To that end, it would definitely make sense for the Red Devils to start planning for life without the 27-year-old World Cup winner, who has less than two years remaining on his current deal.
Considering the damaging impact of the pandemic on the finances, signing a readymade replacement in the same age bracket could be really difficult. Hence, United would be better off looking at a promising young midfielder like Federico Valverde, who has been tipped to reach the pinnacle of success in the years to come.
The 22-year-old is hardly anywhere close to Pogba’s calibre as a footballer just yet, but he is still very much in the development phase of his career and has plenty of time on his side to go on and fulfil his enormous potential. The Uruguayan has already started to show his quality for Real Madrid in the La Liga and certainly has the mettle to shine in English football moving forward.
Federico Valverde shares a lot of similarities with Pogba, both in terms of position and attributes. The 22-year-old still has his best years ahead of him and United shouldn’t hesitate to tempt Real Madrid into selling their prized asset by using Pogba as a pawn if he doesn’t commit his long-term future to the Red Devils.