Real Madrid set to target Ajax star in 2022
Martin Macdonald
- 18 Nov 2021 04:51 CST
- 5 min read
Real Madrid will target yet another high profile free agent in the summer of 2022 in the form of Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui.
Los Blancos are already in the hunt for Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba, both of whom have contracts that expire at the conclusion of the current campaign.
And, they are seeking another bargain by attempting to sign Mazraoui on a pre-contract agreement in January that would see him move to Santiago Bernabeu for the 2022/23 campaign.
Born in the Netherlands but featuring for the Morocco national side, Mazraoui started playing football with local side AVV Alphen before moving to Alphense Boys and then the youth academy at Ajax.
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After graduating through the ranks in Amsterdam he would eventually become the first-choice right-back, impressing with his athleticism down the flank.
Very much in the mould of a modern full-back, Mazraoui excels in the attacking side of the game.
In 2021/22 so far, he has started 11 games in the Eredivisie and scored four goals and recorded two assists.
Even though no new contract has been agreed which will likely lead to him leaving as a free agent, Mazraoui remains a key player under Erik ten Hag.
Real Madrid will attempt to bring him in to provide competition in the right-back spot for Dani Carvajal, though Alvaro Odriozola will also return from his loan spell at Fiorentina in the summer.
Who else is interested in Mazraoui?
As Mazraoui will become available for free, he has a long list of suitors hoping to pick him up without having to pay a transfer fee.
Real Madrid remain the front runners for the moment, though he has also previously been linked to Barcelona.
The Blaugrana recently brought back Dani Alves, but only on a six-month contract from January until June.
ESPN reports that Brighton, Leeds, Arsenal and Juventus are also keeping tabs on his contract situation at Ajax.
Juventus are on the lookout for a new right-back despite extending the contract of Juan Cuadrado.
As for Arsenal, Mazraoui would face tough competition at the Emirates as summer signing Takehiro Tomiyasu has impressed at right-back since transferring from Bologna.
