Share
By Ebenezer Bajela.
Nigeria international, Samuel Chukwueze, may be involved in a blockbuster move to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer should Real Madrid agree to meet Villarreal’s €80m asking price for the winger, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Los Blancos president, Florentino Pérez, has been impressed with the 23-year-old performance this season and there has been speculation about Madrid’s interest in signing the Nigerian for the 2023/24 season.
Chukwueze put up a masterclass performance at the Bernabeu last weekend, condemning the Spanish giants to their fifth defeat of the season as he grabbed a brace and was also involved in the build-up to the third goal.
The Yellow Submarine playmaker was named the Man of The Match of the game, his second this season.
So much is the importance of the Super Eagles star that he has started all last 20 of Villarreal’s games and is currently their most in-form player in the absence of Gerard Moreno, whose season has been blighted by injuries.
The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals and assisted 11 across all competitions this season, and is also one of the five players in the Spanish topflight to have reached double figures for both goals and assists since 2022 in all competitions.
OptaJose, the world leader in sports data, revealed on their official Twitter handle last week that only Vinicius Junior has a better goals contribution that the Nigerian from solo efforts.
With four goals and eight assists, Chukwueze ranks ahead of Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, who has three goals and five assists from solo efforts.
The Nigerian has grown so much this season under Quique Setién and his improvement could earn him a move to Madrid should the Whites agree to meet his club’s asking price.
According to Spanish transfer market website, Fichajes, Villarreal had informed Real Madrid and other interested clubs to meet Chukwueze’s release clause, which stands at €80m.
“However, from Villarreal, they have wanted to be blunt with the starting price of Chukwueze, clinging to the player’s termination clause, which amounts to no more and no less than €80m, which means that any team interested in signing him will have to pay that amount to secure his services, including a Real Madrid that has not yet made a formal offer,” the website wrote.