Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane will be desperate to put the troubles of last season behind them, and Marca believe that three big summer transfers will be announced in the coming days.
Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy are the concerned players, and all three deals are very close to completion.
Hazard more or less confirmed that he won’t be at Stamford Bridge next season during an interview after the 4-1 win over Arsenal in the recent Europa League final in Baku.
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The transfer fee seems to be the stumbling block between Chelsea and Real, with the Los Blancos trying to negotiate for a sum lower than the €120 million that the Blues want.
Although he won’t be a like-for-like replacement, fans will be hoping that the 28-year-old Belgian can be the kind of marquee name who can fill Cristiano Ronaldo‘s shoes.
Meanwhile, Luka Jovic’s transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt has been one of the longest transfer sagas in recent memory.
The 21-year-old forward made only 2 appearances for Benfica’s senior team before being loaned out to Frankfurt for the 17/18 season. He had his breakthrough campaign in 18/19, scoring a brilliant 17 goals in 32 games.
He’s been attracting a lot of attention from several European giants thanks to his all round style of play. Jovic is equally good with both feet, strong in the air, and is also extremely good in one-on-one situations.
Again, Frankfurt’s proposed transfer fee of €70 million might be an issue, with Real trying to bring it down to around €65 million.
Lyon’s French left back Ferland Mendy could be a great replacement for the ageing Marcelo. The 23-year-old has enjoyed a productive Ligue 1 season, and talks are reportedly at an advanced stage.
Florentino Perez is hoping that with their transfers quickly, the trio can go on holiday after international duty and focus on pre-season with the rest of the squad.
Completing 3 major signings early on in the transfer window will send a huge statement of intent to Madrid’s Spanish and European rivals. Brazilians Rodrygo and Eder Militao have already been signed, two youngsters with enormous potential.
Zidane will be preparing his team for pre-season, with Real scheduled to participate in the International Champions Cup and the 2019 Audi Cup in the United States and Germany.