Real Madrid Finalizing Transfer of Luka Jovic for €60 Million—Report

Real Madrid have closed the signing of 21-year-old Luka Jovic for €60 million according to a report from Spanish publication, AS. Of the total €60 million sum, €48 million will go to Eintracht Frankfurt, while the remaining €12 million will be paid to Benfica as per a clause in Jovic’s contract granting the Portuguese club 20% of any future sale. The Serbian, who has exploded onto the scene this year with 26 goals and 5 assists, will sign a contract for six years.

Madrid has been attempting to accelerate the signing of Jovic due to the interest of many clubs: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and PSG. AS reports that the operation has been in advanced stages for weeks, and in the last few days an agreement has been reached. Real Madrid and Eintracht have good relations in recent years after successful transactions involving Jesus Vallejo and Omar Mascarell. The German club are already after a successor for their Serbian sensation, with some reports linking them to Pedro Ruiz (19), a young canterano playing in Juvenil A. He has been dubbed the Spanish Ibrahimović for his tall stature (1.96 meters or 6 feet, 4 inches) and technical ability. If Pedro Ruiz were to leave the club, Madrid will likely insert a buy-back clause.

Onda Cero and Marca, have each come out subsequent to the AS report stating that a deal is close, but not yet finalized. Eintracht Frankfurt play their biggest game of the season net Thursday away to Chelsea and likely won’t want the news to unsettle their squad. Marca states that Frankfurt have interest in Mariano, but that deal would be negotiated completely separate from the Jovic agreement.

In Luka Jovic, Madrid fill a pressing need — a hungry, young, goal-scoring striker. It’s not clear what Jovic’s role will be in Zidane’s new look Madrid, will he be a partner to Benzema or a backup that guarantees goals? If the deal is indeed done, €60 million would represent a shrewd deal for Madrid in today’s post-Neymar transfer market.