Real Madrid will always strive to boast the best team in world football. But the scale of the task on Xabi Alonso’s hands was laid bare in their Club World Cup semi-final defeat to PSG.
The shocking 4-0 scoreline was representative of the gulf between the two teams.
There were some encouraging signs earlier in the tournament for the new manager, but the mauling they suffered at the hands of the European champions was a reminder of the work they need to do – including in the transfer market.
We’ve identified five players that Real Madrid ought to target this summer to give Alonso the best chance of making his project a success.
Angelo Stiller
Florentino Perez was proactive and ambitious in building a future beyond their era-defining midfield trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are all exceptionally talented footballers.
The problem is that none of them are the kind of tempo-setting string-puller that Kroos and Modric were at their best.
Madrid didn’t replace Kroos last year. They’re yet to replace Modric this summer.
As with the England national team so often over the years, Los Blancos are desperately lacking that kind of deep-lying playmaker that will give them total control.
That area of the pitch was particularly exposed as they failed to get near PSG’s world-class midfield trio in the baking New Jersey sunshine.
Stuttgart No.6 Stiller isn’t the most glamorous name on the market, but he fits the profile and would theoretically be attainable for an affordable fee.
According to Marca, Kroos himself has personally given the seal of approval that the Germany international has what it takes to be his successor at the Bernabeu.
Unfortunately, the latest noises out of Madrid (via GOAL) suggest that they’ve “withdrawn their interest” in the midfielder. That could prove costly.
Exequiel Palacios
One name mentioned as a potential Modric replacement in the Spanish papers is Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Palacios.
The 26-year-old Argentina international wasn’t always a mainstay under Alonso – he made more appearances off the bench than in the starting XI in the Bundesliga last term – but he fits the billing of the kind of player Madrid ought to be targeting.
Perhaps most crucially, he wouldn’t cost the earth. A modest fee of just €20million has been mooted.
Enzo Fernandez
Madrid have already backed Alonso with over €100million spent on Dean Huijsen, young Franco Mastantuono and Trent Alexander-Arnold, having stumped up a fee to release the right-back from Liverpool early.
With a spaceship-esque megastadium to pay off, it doesn’t appear as though Perez is prepared to sanction any Galactico signings on top of what’s already been invested.
But never say never; earning €74million in prize money from reaching the Club World Cup final four will no doubt help balance the books.
It would take something extraordinary to prise Fernandez away from Chelsea, given the World Cup winner cost them a record £106million.
But he hasn’t always been convincing at Stamford Bridge and he’d arguably been better suited to La Liga than the Premier League.
The Argentinian continues to be linked with a move to the Bernabeu. When you look back at his Benfica stats, there’s potentially a passing grandmaster waiting to be unlocked in the right set-up.
How he fares against PSG in the upcoming Club World Cup final will be a solid litmus test of what he’d offer Madrid’s midfield.
Adam Wharton
Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are among the clubs reportedly tracking Crystal Palace’s rising star.
You can add Real Madrid to that list, too. The La Liga giants reportedly sent scouts to watch the England international last season.
The 21-year-old was hampered by injury niggles but he shook them off to play a starring role in Palace’s exceptional end to the 2024-25 campaign, culminating in their FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City.
We’d be amazed if he isn’t playing for an elite-level club in a year or two’s time.
Stanislav Lobotka
“I’m not going back, and Real Madrid knows it. They’re missing a player like me and are still searching,” Kroos recently told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The problem is that there aren’t many like me, and the ones out there are hard to sign.”
It’s true. Madrid aren’t getting Pedri out of Barcelona. They aren’t getting Vitinha or Fabian Ruiz out of PSG. They missed the boat on the perfect fit – Martin Zubimendi – after Arsenal got there first.
So Madrid will have to think creatively.
Lobotka isn’t exactly the same type of profile, and at the age of 30, he wouldn’t be a long-term investment.
But according to Fabrizio Romano, he has a release clause at just over €25million. Having shone in two Scudetto victories over the past three seasons with Napoli, there’s proven pedigree there.
The Slovakian has been linked with Atletico, but beating their city rivals to the Slovakian’s might prove an inspired piece of business.
His press-resistance and ability to recycle possession are just what they’re crying out for in midfield.
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