These are weird times in football. On one hand, a club like PSG or the Premier League giants like Manchester City or Chelsea can afford a complete squad overall, on the other, several Spanish and Italian Clubs are struggling to make their ends meet in terms of finances. A similar update surfaced in the footballing community recently and this time it was Inter Milan.
The club reportedly is in financial trouble and is open to selling any of their players given a reasonable offer arrives. While Real Madrid themselves aren’t in the best of times financially, it does make sense to keep tabs on a squad as talented as the Italian Champions. Here are my picks for three players that Real Madrid can look to target amidst the firesale possibility.
3. CDM Marcelo Brozovic
Real Madrid has been long dependent on the ever-reliable Carlos Casemiro for piloting the responsibilities as Madrid’s first line of defense. But, playing each and every game can be exhausting. Yes, even for Casemiro.
However, there also have been positive developments to note for the defensive midfield section. Antonio Blanco has risen through La Fabrica and his frequent appearances in the preseason hints that we could be seeing much more of the Castilla prodigy in action for the first team.
That is the reason why Marcelo Brozovic makes it into this list at the bottom. The kind of financial condition Real Madrid is in right now, making a move for a defensive midfielder may not be what’s on Florentino Perez’s mind. Additionally, when the club is hinting towards going all-in for a substantial attacking addition.
However, that cannot negate the fact that the 28-year-old is a fine talent and would be a major upgrade over Antonio Blanco. It would be having two masters of the same trait who could play rotationally without compromising any on-pitch quality whatsoever. He has all the experience of playing the game at the top-most level. He also played for his national side Croatia in the Euro 2020 campaign and would obviously have a Seria A title in his CV.
2. CB Milan Skriniar
Real Madrid suffered a massive defensive setback in the departures of their two pillars in central defense, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. The club hasn’t hinted towards a defensive signing and believes David Alaba, the new number 4 to be Ramos’s replacement. However, only Nacho and Eder Militao are the pure center-backs for the first team right now.
There is Vallejo definitely. But, he in no way is first-team quality. His displays in the Tokyo Olympics especially in the final against Brazil should put question marks upon the club management if they are considering him for a sporadic place in the first team. David Alaba is versatile and can play in both left-back and center-back positions. Alaba, however, plays much more at ease when playing wide. His crossing and attacking runs are of top quality that Real Madrid shouldn’t miss out on.
Therefore, a third pure center-back for the first team would be the worst of ideas. Inter’s Milan Skriniar could just be the man. He is just 26 years old and is nearing his prime. Alongside Eder Militao, he could be the part of Real Madrid’s alternate center-back pairing that at the moment looks like a Nacho-Alaba combination.
Skriniar has top-tier experience both at the club and international levels. He had a brilliant Euro campaign that featured a goal and an average match rating of 7.11 per WhoScored. At the club level, he obviously is a league winner and overall makes for a great candidate to strengthen Real’s defense which looks weary at the moment. Even in the last friendly against AC Milan.
1. AM Nicolo Barella
At number one, Nicolo Barella obviously is the midfielder that several clubs are drooling over right now and who happens to be an ideal replacement for the aging Luka Modric in my opinion. Barella has been among the discussions. He featured in our list of midfielders who impressed as transfer targets at the Euros. He eventually ended up winning the tournament with Italy and registered three crucial goal contributions in the campaign.
At the club level too, he has successfully maintained being the center of discussions. His prowess on the ball brought him into the list of midfielders to monitor on the transfer market. He is a strong passer of the ball with good creativity and technical awareness. At just 24 years of age, he has impressed immensely this past season and nonetheless will have a Serie A title on his CV.
The only outstanding problem in realizing this transfer is Real Madrid’s overcrowding of the attacking midfield section. But the truth is that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are the old guards now. They are players who need to be searched replacements for. There is Fede Valverde and Martin Odegaard, the latter yet needs to prove himself and the forthcoming season will give us a better idea.
However, given the qualities, Barella brings on the pitch any position other than the top-most wouldn’t have been justifiable. He deserves to be on top of a list that analyses transfer targets in the Inter squad. Keeping the situations at Madrid aside, Barella would be an absolute asset for any club that signs him and if it’s Real Madrid, he could be an addition to Valverde and Odegaard to play rotationally maintaining all possible quality in the middle of the park.