Real Madrid Transfer News: Aymeric Laporte on Radar, Harry Kane Rumours Emerge

Are we witnessing a shift in mentality from Real Madrid? After adding youngsters Martin Odegaard and Lucas Silva to their ranks in the January transfer window already, perhaps the club are beginning to take a keen interest in developing young players; something that could see them go after reported targets Aymeric Laporte and Harry Kane.

The former of the duo is probably a player that represents a more intriguing proposition to Los Blancos supporters, and according to Simon Jones of MailOnline, they will go head-to-head with Manchester United to sign the 20-year-old defender.

Here’s a look at why both clubs are considering triggering the Frenchman’s reported £31.5 million release clause:

In Raphael Varane, Carlo Ancelotti already has arguably the best young central defender in the world. And while Laporte’s name isn’t quite as household as the Real Madrid man, the Athletic Club star has the potential to be just as good, if not better than his compatriot.

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As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, Laporte’s fundamental understanding of the defensive side of the game is already outstanding despite being in the relative infancy of his career:

Being left-sided, he’s a player that could potentially form a formidable partnership with Varane for club and country. Not only does Laporte have supreme defensive instincts, but like Varane, he’s a player who goes about his defending with physicality and dynamism. But with United sniffing around the Athletic man, Real will probably have to act quickly if they’re to land their man.

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Indeed, according to Bleacher Report’s Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, the Frenchman already has eyes for a move to Old Trafford:

In truth, United looks like a better place for Laporte to continue his development at this juncture. The Red Devils have a real scarcity of defensive options, and if he were to join, the Athletic man would become a mainstay of their defence. With Varane, Sergio Ramos and Pepe in situ at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ancelotti will not be able to afford him those reassurances.

The same, you suspect, applies to Kane. Surprisingly, the Tottenham Hotspur man has been touted as a potential target for the European champions; such is their apparent desperation to land him and Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling, according to sources in Spain (h/t David Wright of the Express), the club are willing to cash in on Karim Benzema.

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As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, the Tottenham man has shone in the cup competitions for the club this season:

This transfer looks like a non-starter, though. The forward is enjoying a wonderful season and is a player who has the ability to go on and become a really classy forward. But for a club like Real to sign him on the back of a few solid months would be a little premature on their part.

Ben McAleer of WhoScored certainly can’t see any potential transfer materialising:

For Kane it would be far from ideal, too. With the array of attacking currently in situ in the Spanish capital it’s difficult to see exactly where he would fit into the Los Blancos squad. In addition, the Spurs supporters idolise him, and as a local lad, not only is he in an environment where he can flourish, but he’s currently living every young Tottenham supporter's dream.