Danny Mills has claimed that Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen will be sounding out former teammate Kieran Trippier to see what life is like in Madrid.
The Dane has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer, as reported by Sky Sports, while ex-colleague Trippier completed a move to city rivals Atletico in mid-July.
And Mills has suggested that Eriksen could be in touch with the full-back to gain an idea of how things are over on the continent.
Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “He wants to go to Real Madrid, that would be his dream move.
“He will be in close contact with Kieran Trippier, letting him know what Atletico is like.
“The only other club that could probably afford him at this late stage would be PSG.”
Is this likely to happen?
It can be easy to forget that footballers are people too.
We see them for 90 minutes a week as these superhuman figures who defy all logic and rationality, but at the end of the day, they are still subject to the same basic considerations as the rest of us.
And in Eriksen’s situation, with your future uncertain and with a mate having just moved to a city you are interested in going to, the chances are that any of us would do the same thing in his position.
Obviously, Trippier is at Atletico, and while they have been touted as a potential destination for the 27-year-old, you can’t help feeling that Real are the more likely club to land the Scandinavian.
Even if that is the case, however, Trippier could provide his friend with an idea of what the city, the people, and the league are like over on the continent.
TiF Tactics – Where would Eriksen fit in better?
Of the two Madrid clubs, the one that jumps out as the more obvious destination for Eriksen is Real.
Not only have they been credited with a more sustained and stronger interest, but they also, traditionally, have played a type of game that lends itself to a player of Eriksen’s make-up.
The Dane averaged 2.4 shots on goals 2.1 key passes in the Premier League last season, as per Whoscored, and the manner in which he floats into pockets of space and creates problems between the lines would surely suit Real down to the ground.
That being said, Atletico have undergone something of a facelift this summer, and with new additions like Joao Felix in amongst their ranks, they seem like a more dynamic attacking outfit.
The Portuguese whizz-kid made 1.5 key passes per 90 minutes for Benfica last term, with 1.2 of those being shorter balls, as per Whoscored.
If Atletico are trying to shift towards a quicker, more attractive style of football with players like Felix at the helm, then who better to pull the strings than somebody as accomplished as Eriksen?