La Liga champions Real Madrid reportedly considered signing 19-year-old Dutch prodigy Xavi Simons before he joined PSV Eindhoven.
According to a report by French publication L’Equipe, Xavi Simons was the subject of interest from Real Madrid over a possible Bosman move in the summer transfer window. But the 19-year-old Dutch prodigy rejected the opportunity to move to the Santiago Bernabeu, joining PSV Eindhoven instead.
Xavi Simons started his youth career at CD Thader before joining Barcelona in 2010 as a seven-year-old amid interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid. The teenage wonderkid rapidly progressed through the ranks at La Masia but chose to finish his footballing education at Paris Saint-Germain after nine years with Barcelona.
The 19-year-old had joined PSG in the hopes of seeking a clear pathway to first-team football, but he only managed 11 appearances for the senior side before deciding to depart from Parc des Princes as a free agent this summer. The Dutch prodigy has joined PSV Eindhoven, but he could have moved to Real Madrid instead.
Real Madrid wanted to sign Xavi Simons to place him in their reserve team heading into the 2022/23 season before eventually promoting him to the first-team setup. And the interest in the former Barcelona whizkid likely stems from the uncertainties surrounding the future of Sergio Arribas.
The 20-year-old, who ended 2021/22 as Real Madrid Castilla’s top scorer for the season, faces an uncertain future at the Spanish club amid interest from Borussia Dortmund, Rayo Vallecano and other clubs. And Simons could have been a top-notch replacement for Arribas at Real Madrid.
But the 19-year-old was determined to succeed at the first-team level instead of spending more time in the youth and reserves setups, thus choosing PSV Eindhoven instead of Real Madrid Castilla. Simons, who also attracted interest from Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen, will now hope to establish a foothold in the first-team squad at the Philips Stadion.
But after hastily ending his stints with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, the Dutch prodigy has a lot to prove after taking a big call over his next destination. As for Real Madrid, it will be interesting to see who the Merengues target if Sergio Arribas leaves this summer.