Real Madrid are always looking for the best deals on the transfer market, and they will finally be buyers in the summer 2022 window. While most of their acquisitions won’t be blockbuster additions, aside from free-agent Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland on a set 75 million euro release clause, Madridistas are hopeful that the club will get serious about bolstering depth at key positions.
Plus, it’s always fun to dream about who could be the next great player at Real Madrid – or even the next important role player, such as 2019 signings Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao in the defensive phases.
Let’s take a look at one player Real Madrid could try to sign from every major league.
Premier League: Manchester City RM Bernardo Silva
Although the rumors linking Real Madrid to Bernardo Silva are rather dubious, there is no doubting his quality. The Manchester City star is sitting on seven goals in the Premier League and four total goal contributions in the Champions League, but the cerebral Portuguese attacker brings a LOT more than goals to the table for Pep Guardiola’s side.
A versatile, tactical chess piece, Silva has arguably been the best player on the best team in the world to this point in the 2021-22 season. He averages 1.7 key passes per game and 1.7 dribbles completed per game. Silva does an exceptional job of progressing play and has found a new level to his game as an all-around performer in a more midfield role.
Real Madrid could use his playmaking ability on the right side of the formation. A Luka Modric replacement? Probably not. An excellent player for the modern-day in his own right? Absolutely. And unlike Joao Cancelo, there is actually a chance Real can land Silva…provided they actually push for him.
LaLiga: Espanyol ST Raul de Tomas
In some ways, picking a player to sign from LaLiga is more difficult than other leagues because of the familiarity we have with this league. There are a number of good choices, including the young center back duo of Pau Torres and Jules Kounde. Those two were frequently linked to Real Madrid last season.
But I am going to go with the wild card as a contingency plan if Erling Haaland goes to Manchester City, PSG, or, somehow, Barcelona in the summer.
Raul de Tomas.
Luka Jovic’s days at Real Madrid are numbered. The club does not seem to believe in him or think he is a fit for the team. Borja Mayoral is a good option and is off to a great start at Getafe, but I can’t help but feel that Real may want to aim higher for their backup striker to Karim Benzema, especially if they must wait for a blockbuster youngster (such as Karim Adeyemi).
De Tomas is 27 and in his prime. He has scored 13 goals this season for Espanyol, which is an incredible tally at a club that ranks 14th in the league table.
He’s also more well-rounded than he gets credit for being. The former Real Madrid prospect has filled up the stat sheet in the city of Barcelona with three assists, 1.9 dribbles completed per game, and 1.4 fouls drawn per match.
Although de Tomas has become something of a heroic figure for Espanyol, you’d have to imagine that he would love a Real Madrid return and would have the ambition to want to prove he could be something more than a role player. His production this season cannot be ignored, and in lieu of any other standout options in LaLiga, the man we call “RDT” deserves the nod.
Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund ST Erling Haaland
Of course, Erling Haaland is the main striker target for Real Madrid. Dusan Vlahovic, Romelu Lukaku, and other great strikers have dreamed of moves to Madrid, but the Merengue club only has eyes for Haaland up top.
Now, they should have the likes of Mayoral and de Tomas in mind as backup plans if Haaland does not join, because the ambitious Norwegian may want to be THE GUY at a sporting project, which, say, Manchester City can provide.
Despite the concerns regarding the spotlight with Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., Real Madrid currently sit as the favorites to sign Haaland. He won’t want to wait until 2023, but Florentino Perez seems ready to push for the No. 9 in 2022 rather than missing out on him entirely.
Haaland’s negatives are the high wages and fees to his agent, as well as his injuries. But these are not deal-breakers by any means, even if they do clearly mean he is a secondary option to Mbappe.
Real Madrid want to be bigger than the game itself. They are the most arrogant club in all the land, and Perez’s personality as the president sets the tone. He wants both Haaland and Mbappe to unveil at the new Santiago Bernabeu, which is something of a crowning achievement in his eyes.
Haaland’s transfer fee is definitely affordable, and Real Madrid have saved the funds to afford the rest of the package it will take to bring him to Madrid.
Of course, the Dortmund man is not the only player to watch in the Bundesliga. Bayer Leverkusen have a few young standouts worth watching, Haaland’s teammate Jude Bellingham is already a top-class midfielder, and clubs lower in the table have intriguing talents – such as Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix.
But I would be a liar if I picked anyone other than Haaland in the Bundesliga.
Serie A: Inter Milan CB Milan Skriniar
Midfielders Fabian Ruiz, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Nicolo Barella, free agent Franck Kessie, and even Marcelo Brozovic deserve mentions in this extremely entertaining league. But for my money, it is Barella’s and Brozovic’s Inter Milan teammate in defense who merits the mention here.
Real Madrid are not desperate for a center back, but I cannot stop raving about Milan Skriniar’s quality. Skriniar is one of the best central defenders on the planet, and Madridistas got to see that first-hand this season in the Champions League. A warrior at the back, Skriniar makes goal-line clearances that would make current Madrid No. 4 David Alaba and past Madrid No. 4 Sergio Ramos proud.
Though the center back duo of Alaba and Eder Militao has kept Los Blancos in game after game this season and can stand with any other tandem as the world’s best, Real have depth questions in central defense. Nacho Fernandez is the third center back, but who else is there? Is he good enough for that role? Can Real trust the likes of Rafa Marin already? I am optimistic, but…
Skriniar is the real deal. His power in the air and coverage are excellent. Skriniar is one of the best readers of the game in Serie A. In a league that is now known for its attacking quality, Skriniar is a throwback. He is the dream at center back, and as Madridistas, we can only dream of the best, correct?
Of course, there is one more player in Italy worth mentioning. He may be injured, but there is little doubt in my mind that Federico Chiesa will be back in a big way. Chiesa is another star at a big club in Serie A worth the attention of Madridistas, who surely took notice in the Euros.
Ligue 1: PSG FW Kylian Mbappe
What Kylian Mbappe is doing this season is simply obscene. The best player in the world, Mbappe delivered the wining goal for PSG in the Champions League Round of 16 at the Parc des Princes, beating the world’s best keeper in stoppage time to give his home city a 1-0 win over the club he is very likely to join this summer.
Real Madrid have put all their chips on the table for Mbappe, and while a shock renewal with PSG is not entirely out of the question, Florentino Perez and Co. are quietly – if not supremely – confident in Mbappe’s summer arrival.
Mbappe has scored 12 goals with 9 assists in Ligue 1 this season and has an outrageous 9 goal contributions in the Champions League. Nobody can match his all-around game as a scoring threat, creator, and carrier of the ball into the final third. Mbappe’s one-on-one quality is devastating, as Real’s right back Dani Carvajal learned the hard way.
Of course, Mbappe is the obvious choice. There are so many other great options in the “League of Talents”, including another, like Raul de Tomas, former Madridista in Achraf Hakimi at the very necessary position of right back.
Aurelien Tchouameni is another. Real Madrid signed a great young midfielder from Ligue 1 last summer in Eduardo Camavinga, but Tchouameni is a totally different profile. The Monaco star, who will be more expensive than Camavinga was from Rennes with his contract winding down, can be the 6 to Camavinga’s 8.
If Real only end up with Mbappe, fans will have to be satisfied. However, the dream is to pair him with either Tchouameni or Hakimi. Both? A fan can only dream…
Dutch Eredivisie: Ajax RW Antony
Initially, I penciled in Antony’s Ajax teammate Noussari Mazraoui. Because let’s face it, Real Madrid REALLY need a right back. And if they are indeed going to sign Kylian Mbappe from PSG for free, then right back becomes their next biggest priority, given that Lucas Vazquez is currently the lone backup to the injury-prone Dani Carvajal.
However, the list will finish with a right back, so the attack-heavy dream list continues with one of the best left-footed talents in the world.
Antony could finish the Galactic trio as the surprise third man to Kylian Mbappe and current superstar Vinicius Jr. if Erling Haaland does not end up making his way to Real Madrid in the summer 2022 transfer window.
Real’s best left-footed, after Gareth Bale leaves as a free agent, will be Marco Asensio. He has a sweet shot, but that’s it. He cannot beat defenders or do all the things a winger must do.
Antony absolutely can, as any Borussia Dortmund fan can attest after watching the young Brazilian destroy them in the Champions League group stages.
The 22-year-old has seven goals and three assists in the Dutch top flight, as well as two goals and four assists in the Champions League. An electrifying dribbler, Antony is also an effective creator. He is averaging 1.7 key passes per game in both major competitions, providing accurate crosses of the low and high variety – something Real Madrid is very much lacking.
Although not quite a slam dunk, Antony is an exciting young forward with a high-upside left foot and already has the explosiveness Real are missing on the right side. He provides the dynamism on that flank that Rodrygo Goes, naturally a left winger, cannot.
Primeira Liga: Sporting CP RB Pedro Porro
And now we close the list with an underrated league that has produced some top talents in recent years, such as current Liverpool star Luis Diaz. Better yet, we settle on the former club of Cristiano Ronaldo with another Portuguese player on Manchester City’s books.
Pedro Porro won’t be on their books for long, though. Sporting are fully expected to make a permanent move for the 22-year-old right back, who could then make his move to Real.
Although he isn’t cheap, Porro is the best right back available. And for his age and quality, he is affordable with a reported 45 million euro release clause.
Porro can be a major upgrade on the right side to whoever starts instead of Dani Carvajal, and he could also usurp Carvajal as the starter. Remember when Ferland Mendy did the same on the left side in 2019 after signing for 50 million euros?
With three goals, two assists, two tackles per game, 1.6 fouls drawn per game, 1.5 key passes per game, and 1.3 fouls drawn per game in the Primeira Liga, the Sporting star is the kind of well-rounded presence at right back who can help Real Madrid greatly. Since Real have ambitions to load up the attack, they will need an effective attacking outlet on the right flank, which has been a huge problem area for the club thus far in 2021-22.
Porro is not the only option at right back. Jeremie Frimpong, Nordi Mukiele, Noussair Mazraoui, and others are worth considering. But with Joao Cancelo just about outright impossible, Porro is the clear top option. At 22, he has much room to grow, too.