Real Madrid are flying high on the top of world football right now. After winning their 14th Champions League trophy and claiming another La Liga title, Carlo Ancelotti’s side has all the big gold. But that isn’t stopping them from planning for an even brighter future by strengthening their squad.
Despite their overwhelming success last season, Los Blancos are aware their squad is still far from perfect. They’ll aim to fix their issues and become an even stronger, more dangerous team rather than be dependent on the likes of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr, and Thibaut Courtois next season.
Real have a set transfer budget of €400m (as per Goal) because of how well they’ve managed their transfer business in recent years. As they don’t have to pay hundreds of millions on Kylian Mbappe anymore, they can plan for a blockbuster summer transfer window. We’ll look at the four ideal summer signings they can make with that gigantic budget.
Aurelien Tchouameni instead of Mbappe for Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s marvelous midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro have helped them win five Champions League titles together. While they were influential in their success last season, the trio’s old legs are a concern.
Madrid aren’t the side to embrace nostalgia for too long. They’re always out looking for new, young blood to energize the squad. The ideal midfielder to act as a replacement for Casemiro or Kroos is Aurelien Tchouameni.
The French midfielder is an absolute engine and helped AS Monaco achieve a top-3 finish in Ligue 1 last season. WhoScored states winning aerial duels, tackling, interceptions, and blocking shots are his biggest strengths. Those are the perfect elements needed to shine at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Tchouameni can also score wonder goals and provide assists as well as expertly break up opponent’s play in midfield. Los Blancos are so eager to get him they are ready to splash €100m and are closing in on his signing (as per Fabrizio Romano). That is big money to spend on a 22-year-old from Ligue 1, but Tchoumeni’s potential and skillset mean he could be a long-term marvel for the club.
Antony as the right-winger solution
Real Madrid’s front three was one of the most terrorizing lines in Europe with Vinicius Jr and Benzema enjoying excellent seasons. Despite the duo having over 90 goal contributions together, Madrid’s right-wing was the weakest of the bunch.
Los Blancos will be eager to strengthen that area so as to lessen the dependency on the two forwards. Mbappe could’ve played there had he not decided to stay at PSG. But Los Blancos have to look ahead. One player they can look towards is Ajax winger Antony.
The Brazilian had 20 goal contributions for the Dutch giants (12 goals, 8 assists) and helped his side win the Eredivisie title last season. He’s an absolute firecracker in attack, boasting impressive dribbling ability, pace and that special spark in the final third.
He loves to cut inside from the right to cause damage, and his strengths include dribbling, finishing, long-range shooting, crossing as well as setting up chances (via WhoScored).
Ajax could ask for €70m (via Tuttosport) for him, but knowing Madrid’s fine history with Brazilian players (including Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Eder Militao in the current squad), they can afford Antony’s signing right now.
Heung-Min Son: the new Galactico?
With the kind of budget available for the summer, Real Madrid could be looking to make another “Galactico” signing. Cristiano Ronaldo might be too old at the age of 37, but there’s someone else from the Premier League quite capable of making a similar impact.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-Min Son proved himself a world-class player with his heroics in the Premier League last season. The South Korean star won the Golden Boot with 23 goals, becoming the first-ever Asian footballer to achieve the feat.
Son is flying high on confidence and is at the peak of his career. He can definitely make an instant impact and play a part in Madrid’s immediate success. The South Korean is versatile enough to play anywhere in the attack and is deadly in the final third.
He is extremely agile and is excellent in counter-attacks, which suits Madrid’s style. Tottenham aren’t looking to sell Son, but the player might be tempted to leave if a club like Real Madrid come calling. If Real are able to shell out more than his market value of €80m, they can use their strong relations with Spurs to add another world-class player to their squad and further fire up their attacking line.
Filip Kostic to replace Marcelo
With Marcelo leaving Real Madrid, the Spanish giants will need to strengthen their left-back position. While Ferland Mendy is still their first-choice left-back and David Alaba can also play there, Madrid should look to further beef up that position keeping in mind injury troubles.
They’ll probably look to get a more attack-minded left-back who can create a lot of chances from that side. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic is a perfect fit for them as he has the eye to dominate on the left. He had 23 goal contributions (8 goals, 15 assists) for his side last season, helping them win the UEFA Europa League.
He had three goals and four assists in 12 Europa League games, including key ones against Barcelona. Kostic’s crossing, chance-creating ability and set-piece prowess are some of his strongest traits (as per WhoScored) and he is defensively commanding as well.
The 29-year-old can be a solid alternative option at left-back for them and with a transfer value of just €20m, he can be a very smart signing to bolster their full-back area.