Marcelo bid his farewell to Real Madrid, while Gareth Bale and Isco did so too in their own way. They received the affection of Los Blancos’ fans after their many years of service to the club, accompanied by successes, trophies and difficult moments.
However, their departures are not expected to be the only ones for Real Madrid ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
Club president Florentino Perez, general director Jose Angel Sanchez and head coach Carlo Ancelotti will soon meet to plan the Champions League winners’ squad for next season.
There is no rush to achieve the main targets due to their high price tags, but Real Madrid do want to have a clear idea of who their targets are without entering into any bidding wars.
Meanwhile, selling clubs are aware that Real Madrid have the funds to spend big in the summer transfer window after a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe fell through.
The starting point is to maintain the healthy and positive spirit of the current dressing room. Potential recruits will be looked at in detail, both in sporting and personal terms, with David Alaba featuring as an example. Success will not cover up certain shortcomings, which Real Madrid will try to remedy.
Tchouameni: The big target
Mbappe turning down Real Madrid has changed the course of events, and the first big beneficiary of the change is none other than Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
The France international’s situation is not simple as Monaco are asking for a fee of 80 million euros, an amount that Real Madrid view as being excessive.
Both Liverpool, with coach Jurgen Klopp calling the midfielder, and Paris Saint-Germain, with Mbappe contacting his France teammate, also want to sign the 22-year-old, who seems to be very close to agreeing terms with Real Madrid.
Tchouameni could be the second deal to be completed after that of Antonio Rudiger, who will join on a free from Chelsea. It is underway and there is some rush to confirm the signing.
The forwards who are staying put
According to what he has told the Real Madrid directors, Ancelotti wants to strengthen the squad with the acquisitions of a left-back, Tchouameni and a striker.
As for the attack, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior and Eden Hazard will stay put. However, both Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz are expected to leave the club.
Jovic is willing to accept any incoming offer as he is aware that he will not get much playing time at Los Blancos, and he could end up in Serie A, with AC Milan being a potential destination.
As for the striker who will join Real Madrid in the summer, there are directors who do not believe that it is necessary to find a player who could compete with Benzema for a spot in the starting line-up.
Thus, Los Blancos will search for a player who can join on loan or whose contract is coming to an end next season. However, they have ruled out spending big on one of the up-and-coming strikers, as they don’t want to repeat what happened with Jovic.
Ospina: The possible replacement for Lunin
In goal, it seems clear that Andriy Lunin will want to try his luck elsewhere. As MARCA has reported, the main candidate to fill in his void is Napoli’s David Ospina, with youngster Lucas Canizares featuring as third-choice goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, both the right-back and centre-back positions are covered and, following Rudiger’s arrival, Jesus Vallejo is expected to part ways with the club.
The situation of Asensio and Ceballos
The most complicated issue Real Madrid’s directors are facing at the moment is dealing with the futures of Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio.
Both have contracts which expire in 2023, and under no circumstances do they intend to give the players away. Real Madrid are very clear about that.
Ceballos and Asensio must be the first to speak, to express their opinion about their futures, as they are not expected to be guaranteed starters next season.
The club believe that an excessive number of players without much playing time could be harmful to the team. Therein lies the dilemma.
If they accept a back-up role at Real Madrid, they could stay put, but right now they are closer to leaving than to staying.
A back-up for Mendy
When it comes to the left-back position, Rayo Vallecano’s Fran Garcia is still the favourite to join as Ferland Mendy’s back-up.
The former La Fabrica graduate has demonstrated in his first year in the top flight that he is capable of at least covering for Mendy. Meanwhile, Real Madrid retain 50 percent of the 22-year-old’s rights.
Academy players such as Miguel Gutierrez, Antonio Blanco, Sergio Arribas and Juanmi Latasa are expected continue their careers at other LaLiga Santander clubs, where they will gain experience in order to return to Real Madrid at some point in the future.
