Davies transfer in 'final stretch' as Real Madrid repeat Mbappe trick

Suraj Radia

• 14 Sept 2024 11:00 BST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid’s transfer for Alphonso Davies is said to be in the ‘final stretch’ after the left-back ‘won’ his battle with Bayern Munich to avoid being forced out the club this summer.

Davies is thought to be one of Real’s top targets next summer, having been identified as the perfect long-term solution to their left-back spot.

Real had hoped to sign Davies this summer but were only willing to pay up to €25 million for the Canadian due to him entering the final year of his contract and refusing to sign an extension with the German side.

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However, Bayern opted against cashing in on the 24-year-old and he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement in January to freely join Real or another club upon the expiry of his deal next summer.

According to AS, Real believe their ‘roadmap is being fulfilled’, having approached Davies directly to convince him to hold firm with Bayern to allow the Spanish giants to sign him for free next year.

It is a strategy Real employed with the signing of Kylian Mbappe and the European champions are confident they will close a deal for Davies in the coming months after seeing Bayern lose their leverage in demanding a high fee for the player.

Real Madrid adopt tried and tested philosophy to sign Davies

Real had already convinced Mbappe to sign for the club last summer, prompting the French captain to inform Paris Saint-Germain that he would not be renewing his contract and would leave the club on a free transfer.

And Davies has emulated Mbappe by ‘resisting Bayern’s attack and psychological games’ to avoid being forced out of the club and sold to another side during the summer.

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The tactic is part of Real’s philosophy that they had also hoped to utilise to sign Leny Yoro, however the Frenchman opted to join Manchester United instead of seeing out the last year of his contract and leaving Lille on a free.

Real felt it was preferable to avoid paying for Davies and only negotiate a signing-on bonus for him instead of a fee with Bayern, while sticking with Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia as their left-back options for the season.

However, Real will not give publicity to the matter and will handle negotiations discreetly due to their ‘excellent relations’ with Bayern, although a transfer is expected to be formally agreed in January when Davies is free to sign with the club.