Real Madrid have a whopping eight-point lead over Sevilla at the top of LaLiga, having taken care of business this past weekend. After Sevilla dropped points, Los Blancos played their best match in months, dominating Real Sociedad in a 4-1 victory.
As Real prepare for their all-important Champions League battle with PSG, Florentino Perez always has an eye further down the road into the transfer market. The year 2022 will be Real’s busiest on the mercato since 2019, when they brought in Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo Goes, and a couple of forwards who did not work out.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will be the priorities, but they are by no means the only players who can help Real Madrid.
The question is, who should Real be looking at within their own league? Here is a potential transfer target from every other club occupying the top 10 LaLiga places thus far in 2021/22.
10. Celta Vigo LB Javi Galan
Brais Mendez and a few other Celta players are intriguing, but, to me, nobody stands out more than Javi Galan. Like Rafa Mir, Galan is having a fantastic second season in LaLiga, having stayed in the top flight after shining for Huesca in 2020/21. Mir gets more press as a striker, but Galan might actually the more valuable player.
Real Madrid don’t need a left back, even with Marcelo set to leave a spot in the squad behind. Ferland Mendy is a strong defender and seems favored by the club, while Miguel Gutierrez is the next big thing at the position. If Real want depth, they can always sign Fran Garcia at a cut rate from Rayo Vallecano, as they still own half his contract.
But quietly, Galan has a case for being the most complete left back in LaLiga right now – not that there’s a high bar set. Galan averages a whopping 2.5 dribbles completed, 2.2 fouls drawn, and 2.9 tackles per game to go with 1.4 interceptions per game. He’d actually be good enough for Real Madrid as a backup.