Real Madrid Transfer Rumours: Transfer Target Daniele De Rossi Is Not Worth Cost

Real Madrid are desperately trying to keep up with Barcelona in the transfer market, but that does not mean they should make poor decisions.

One of those potential mistakes would be to bring in midfielder Daniele De Rossi. However, Wayne Veysey of Goal.com reports that this is a possibility:

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Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are ready to rival Chelsea in the race to sign Daniele De Rossi, Goal understands.

The Roma midfielder met with the club’s sporting director Walter Sabatini earlier this week to discuss his future after returning from international duty at the Confederations Cup with Italy.

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Veysey also reports that a transfer could cost about £15 million, and that the player has a current salary equivalent to around £190,000 a week. This would simply be too much for the club to spend on the veteran player.

Throughout his career at Roma, De Rossi has been a steady force in the midfield as someone with great passing accuracy that can help any offensive attack. However, he is clearly on the decline as someone set to turn 30 years old later this month.

As you can see from the chart above, the midfielder contributed to the fewest amount of goals since becoming a regular for the Italian club. He did not score once himself in league play and only added three assists.

By the end of the year, he was getting fewer appearances than usual and only started 21 matches all season. He is no longer playing to the level of his enormous contract, and Madrid should not choose to pay it either.

Even if he does help a little this year, it is hard to imagine him staying effective throughout his contract that runs until 2017.

While De Rossi still does have some value on the defensive end, this is not where the Spanish club needs to allocate its resources. The key this offseason will be to find a way to catch up to its biggest rival on offense.

After already outscoring Real Madrid in La Liga 115-103 last season, Barcelona signed Neymar to a long-term contract. If his play at the Confederations Cup is any indication, he will be a big help to his new club.

This means that Madrid must focus on adding another elite forward who can help keep up on the scoreboard.

There are many players who would provide much more value to the club than De Rossi, and the current focus should be on completing a deal for someone else.

When it comes to the Italian player, however, the team should exit the race to sign him.

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