Right now Real Madrid find themselves in quite a tough position: in order to bring in new faces, they need to first sell some unwanted stars. The main outgoings that Zinedine Zidane had counted on were those of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez.
Bale’s market value is still quite high in England so the Premier League makes the most sense. The Welsh winger could be used as a makeweight in any potential deal for Paul Pogba, assuming that Manchester United are interested.
This sets us up for another week of stories being leaked from Madrid, United, Pogba, Bale and their agents. The transfer window in England closes on the 8th August.
If Madrid are finally able to bring Pogba in, and even better in a deal involving Bale, it could open the door to yet another new signing – but that also depends on another sale being made first. The Colombian international James Rodríguez could be moved on to neighbours Atletico, freeing up the space to bring in Ajax’s Van de Beek.
Despite rumours to the contrary, Pogba is still the priority signing and must be brought in first. The signing of new midfielders will put pressure on Kroos and Modric to perform after disappointing campaigns last season.
If a move for Pogba proves impossible to complete, then the Ajax man becomes the priority, but Christian Eriksen isn’t entirely discarded either. The Danish international, who helped Tottenham reach the Champions League final last season, is well liked by those at Madrid but crucially not by Zidane.
It promises to be a busy week for Florentino Perez.