Real Madrid will be going after some of the biggest names in world football next summer. Madridistas are hoping that this will be a transformational summer for the club. Kylian Mbappe is the main dream target for Los Blancos, but he is far from the only top target on Real’s radar. He is not even the only free agent the club will be after.
Since Florentino Perez knows that he can no longer compete financially with outbidding PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, and potentially now Newcastle, on the transfer market, free agents are a bigger priority for Los Blancos. We saw an example of that this summer with the acquisition of David Alaba.
The Mirror recently created an out-of-contract XI of the best players who could be available for a free transfer in 2022. There are three top targets on the Real Madrid radar in this XI. Kylian Mbappe is, of course, there. But so is Chelsea center back Antonio Rudiger and long-time target Paul Pogba.
Free agents can be signed to a pre-contract in January, and they can then officially join that new club on the first day of the summer transfer window. Madridistas are hoping Real can close the Mbappe deal that quickly, though it could be difficult. Mbappe is, after all, a lot of pressure, and PSG management has been quite hostile to both Real and the player, with sporting director Leonardo recently calling for sanctions against Madrid.
Paul Pogba, Antonio Rudiger are less certain targets
Of course, we must also consider that these players could choose to renew with their current clubs. Pogba, after more than a year of seeming unrest at Manchester United, could be ready to commit to a future with the Red Devils.
Rudiger’s case is also uncertain, depending on the money Chelsea are willing to offer. As we saw with Alaba, Real are willing to pay big for free agents. But with high salaries planned for Mbappe and potentially even Erling Haaland – a sort of exclusive-rights free agent, given he has a 75-85 million euro release clause – Los Merengues may have to be choosy with Rudiger. Still, he could help the defense, which has been a serious weak point at times in 2021-2022.
These three players will be the free agent priorities for Real, with Rudiger likely following suit after Mbappe and Pogba being more of a luxury wish for Madridistas. Beyond them, Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne is talented but not the right fit, and Milan’s Franck Kessie is another classy Serie A player who is destined for a different landing spot.