Dele Alli could be Real Madrid"s next Galactico

Königliche Reise mit dem BVB! | Real Madrid - BVB
Shaka Hislop and Alexis Nunes bite into the days juiciest transfer rumours. The FC crew discuss how a Tottenham win over Chelsea Wednesday could impact the title race in the Premier League.

A report in Tuesday"s Daily Mirror claims Real Madrid want to sign Tottenham Hotspur"s Dele Alli next summer. ESPN FC assesses Alli"s chances of becoming the next British Galactico.

Reasons for

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has backed Alli to become one of the best players in Europe in the next decade -- and Real Madrid want the best players. In May, Alli was named as the most-marketable footballer in the Premier League by SportsPro, and this will also appeal to Real from a non-football perspective.

When the Spanish giants come calling, there is nothing much anyone -- even a master-negotiator like Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy -- can do. Spurs are a big club but Real are an empire, and they could offer Alli the biggest stage in football and treble his salary without a second thought.

Real have previous form here too, having already prized Luka Modric and Gareth Bale away from Tottenham. Spurs do not want to lose Alli but, if he wants a move, Levy would rather sell to real than a Premier League rival like Manchester United or Chelsea.

If the chairman can extract a huge fee, north of 60 million, for Alli and sign a replacement like Everton"s Ross Barkley for half of that, he may consider it sensible business while Spurs continue to fund their new stadium.

There is something about Alli reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane and it"s easy to imagine that the current Real Madrid head coach admires the 20-year-old"s style.

Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur"s Dele Alli next summer.

Reasons against

Real Madrid only tend to buy the Premier League"s very best players and Alli, for all his talent, is not there yet. His start to this season has been patchy and he has only recently hit form with consecutive doubles at Southampton and Watford.

Real found World Cup-winner Mesut Ozil inconsistent, so they will not have much patience with Alli, who is just 20 and still learning. Los Blancos already have Isco and James Rodriguez -- four and five years Alli"s senior, respectively -- who are struggling to make Zidane"s XI, so adding another to the mix seems unlikely.

What"s more, Spurs don"t want to sell Alli and, although Pochettino recently said that he is worth 50m, Levy extracted 85m from Madrid for Bale. In today"s market, he could reasonably ask for a similar fee, which would definitely deter even the Champions League winners.

There is also the issue of Alli"s temperament: he was involved in a number of incidents last season, including a punch on Claudio Yacob which earned him a three-match ban, and he has been criticised for diving this term. Real may want to wait to see if he grows out of such behaviour, which could prove costly in the biggest games, before making a move.

The player himself only signed a new six-year contract with Spurs in September and he recently said he is happy at White Hart Lane after links to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. He is mature and level-headed enough to realise that there is no better place for him than at Tottenham.

Verdict

There are reasons to think that Alli is a good fit for Real Madrid but next summer would be too soon for him to join Real. If the England international continues his upward trajectory and establishes himself as one of the top two or three players in England, he has the technique and attitude to succeed at the Bernabeu.

For now, though, he would be better to stay at Spurs and continue his development under Pochettino, who is one of the best managers in the game at improving young English talent.

Dan is ESPN FC"s Tottenham correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @Dan_KP.

Source: http://www.espnfc.us/blog/soccer-usa/3/post/3031372/dele-alli-could-be-real-madrid-next-galactico-but-development-must-continue-at-spurs