Real Madrid have essentially been told to look elsewhere in the transfer market by French side Rennes, with the club’s sporting director insisting €80m would not be enough to sign coveted starlet Eduardo Camavinga.
The 17-year-old has caught the eye in Ligue 1 this season, dazzling in the centre of the park. Camavinga had made 25 league appearances for Rennes this year until the campaign was brought to a premature end by the coronavirus outbreak.
But despite the current lack of football in France, the starlet remains firmly in Madrid’s plans for this summer, with Zinedine Zidane keen to add his national compatriot to the Spanish giants’ squad.
Rennes are not having any of it, though. In fact, the club’s sporting director Florian Maurice told RMC Sport that they will not even entertain an offer of €80m for their prodigy, hoping to ‘keep developing’ him into an elite player, as cited by Mundo Deportivo.
“Camavinga’s departure has not been spoken about,” Maurice said.
“There has never been a real interest. Since my arrival, I was clear that Camavinga would be included in the project.
“If Real Madrid offer €80m for him as is being talked about, the answer is no. We want him to stay so that he keeps developing at Rennes.”
Maurice also stressed that Rennes see the youngster as ‘part of the project for the coming season’, further dampening rumours of Madrid’s interest in the midfielder.
“For me it is clear, this player must be part of the project for the coming season. We want to continue with this player. It is important for him that he continues with Stade Rennais. He’s a very good boy, a great player.”
However, the sporting director did admit that the starlet ‘has ambition’ and may fancy a move away, but he remains ‘under contract’ with Rennes for the time being, and his immediate future remains with his current employers.
“It should be noted that the player has ambition, perhaps he has the desire to go play elsewhere, I will listen to him, but at the moment he is under contract at Stade Rennais and we will see calmly how the transfer market works.”
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