60 million euros, the most expensive defender in the history of Real Madrid is coming

The reporter reported coldly On May 16, British and Spanish media reported that Real Madrid officially made an offer to Bournemouth in the Premier League to activate the release clause of Spanish international Hausen (50 million pounds, about 60 million euros) to buy the hot young central defender, and the famous transfer expert Romano then confirmed the news.

The two clubs and the player team have already agreed on it, but there are still contract details to be negotiated. Bournemouth agreed to pay in three instalments but asked for it to be paid over 18 months, with a down payment of £25 million. Not surprisingly, Real Madrid will soon officially announce the addition of the most expensive defender in the team's history.

Previously, Real Madrid's highest-paying defender was Militão, who joined from Porto in the summer of 2019 for a transfer fee of 50 million euros, this time with an investment of close to 60 million euros, which is comparable to the transfer fee of Portuguese legend Figo, ranking 11th in the high-priced superstar-studded Real Madrid and 14th in the list of world defender transfer fees, he will also be the most expensive defender in the history of La Liga.

The signing of a defender at a high price for the first time in six years means that Real Madrid has finally begun to pay attention to defensive investment, and the 20-year-old Hausen is a new international, which can also increase Real Madrid's presence in the Spanish team.

Born in Amsterdam, Hausen is 1.95 meters tall, immigrated to Spain with his family at the age of 5, entered the Malaga youth system at the age of 10, and was poached by Serie A giants Juventus at the age of 17. On loan at Roma in early 2024, the team's manager Jose Mourinho strongly recommended a buyout for Roma, believing that he had a bright future, but Mourinho was sacked a few days later. Bournemouth bought Hausen for £13 million (€15.2 million) last summer, and the 20-year-old centre-back has since made a splash in the Premier League.

This season, Howson has made the most clearances (181) and headers (96) in the Premier League among Under-21 players in both the top five leagues. Among the main defenders in the Premier League who have played more than 1,500 minutes, Hausen has the eighth-most header duels with a 59.3 per cent success rate, which is on par with Arsenal's Gabriel and slightly ahead of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Crystal Palace's Guehi (59.1 per cent). In addition, Howson ranks second in interceptions per game (2.2) behind Bedralek (2.3, Southampton), second in clearances per game (6.7) behind Everton's Braithwaite (6.9), fifth in header clearances per game (3.3) and seventh in blocks per game (1.3).

Hausen has an excellent passing success rate of 84.3 per cent this season, including a 90.4 per cent pass completion rate in the second leg of the Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands in March. It is worth mentioning that his passing is not the usual "safe return pass" of defenders, but more forward passing. Among Premier League defenders who have played more than 1,500 minutes this season, Howson ranks third in the number of progressive forward passes per game (4.0).

In addition to defense, Howson also has some offensive ability. Against Tottenham Hotspur in early December, he scored the winner and won the Man of the Match; In the second leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands in extra time in March this year, Hausen sent a penetrating through ball near the center circle to help Yamal score outside the penalty area to overtake the score. In less than a year, Hausen's value has surged from 10 million euros last summer to 42 million in March this year, and it is expected to reach at least 60 million by the end of the season.

A native of Dutch descent, Hausen settled in Marbella at the age of 5 and entered the Malaga academy at the age of 10. The technique at the feet and the football philosophy can be integrated almost completely seamlessly, making him an ideal candidate to strengthen Real Madrid's defence. At present, Real Madrid defenders Rudiger, Alaba, Militão, Carvajal and Vazquez are all injured, and rookie Raul Asensio is deeply involved in a scandal of sexual assault of underage girls, and his future is uncertain. Real Madrid's choice to activate the liquidated damages clause directly is a quick fix, and it is really about to compete in the Club World Cup, and it is urgent to replenish the defenders.

Embarrassingly, before Hausen, Real Madrid spent only 5 million euros on defenders in the last five seasons, ranking 236th in the world. Since the summer of 2020, Real Madrid have only brought in three defenders, Rudiger, Alaba and Fran Garcia, the former two on a free transfer, and Fran Garcia spent 5 million euros. In the same period, 29 clubs invested more than 100 million euros in defenders, the highest Chelsea invested 391 million euros in 13 defenders, Manchester City spent 320 million to introduce 9 defenders, and the average price exceeded 35 million The highest, and even Barcelona B team invested 8.7 million.

With Alonso in charge, Real Madrid's midfield metabolism is picking up. Hausen and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the first to join on a free transfer, and Saliba and Konate, whose contracts expire in the next two years, are also Real Madrid's future targets.