Real Madrid: 3 surprise transfers that could tempt Florentino Perez

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is one of the most eccentric people in a business filled with eccentric men who have way, way too much cash on their hands. Perez’s unorthodox style brought football the unforgettable Galacticos era, and it also later brought Real Madrid four Champions League titles in five years, including an unprecedented three-peat. At the center of the three-peat were transfer bargains like the midfield trio, as well as a Galactico-inspired pair of 2009 summer transfers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Madridistas have been waiting for the next “Revolution” of transfers at the Santiago Bernabeu. There is hope that with Kylian Mbappe set to join as a free agent and Erling Haaland also available for just 75 million euros due to a release clause, 2022 will be the year that Real Madrid return to the top of European football’s food chain.

Perez has always been known for his ambition, and he often has a surprise up his sleeve. Let’s take a look at three more blockbuster transfers Perez could surprise Madridistas with.

West Ham DM Declan Rice

Defensive midfielders usually aren’t big-ticket signings, but Florentino Perez has grown to appreciate this position. After all, he made one of the biggest mistakes of his career in his first stint as president when he underestimated the performance of revolutionary defensive midfielder Claude Makelele. And Casemiro proved to be the missing piece in his second stint – the man who took Real from great-but-flawed to the unquestionable best team in the world.

Aurelien Tchouameni is the defensive midfielder who fits Madrid best, and he is the current favorite to join the club. But the Monaco man is not the biggest name in the defensive midfield. That distinction belongs to Declan Rice, who is a complete player and one of the Premier League stars who has 100 percent earned the hype.

Like Tchouameni, Rice will be expensive and pursued heavily by an equally ambitious Chelsea. But if Perez wants to sign a DM who also has marketing potential, opening the pocketbook for Rice may be in play.