Real Madrid has gotten busy in the couple of weeks since capturing its 14th Champions League title!
The club has already signed free-agent center-back Antonio Rudiger after his contract expired with Chelsea and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to complete his move to Spain in the next couple of days.
But the squad still needs a few tweaks.
Cleaning out some of the depth players who have lost their spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans and adding some fresh faces will only help the already impressive team defend their league and UCL titles this next season.
3. Sign Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus will leave Manchester City this window. That much is confirmed.
Where he lands next remains a mystery. The Brazilian forward has been a key cog in Pep Guardiola’s Premier League domination, but he hasn’t always been in the starting XI. He is ‘super sub’ to the extreme and is a proven playmaker in one of the world’s toughest leagues.
Jesus is 25, just wrapping up his sixth season in Manchester, and is looking for a new challenge with a new club.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Real Madrid had made contact with Jesus’ agents a few weeks back, but discussions have not progressed since. The Brazilian international is expected to remain in the Premier League, however, Real Madrid would be wise to at least make a bid for the prolific player.
Gabriel Jesus could easily slot in right behind Karim Benzema or compete with Federico Valverde and Rodrygo Goes for a spot on the right-wing.
I know, without a shred of a doubt, signing Gabriel Jesus and moving on from Marco Asensio would be a huge upgrade.
2. Sell the players who no longer have futures (Asensio, Jovic, Mariano)
Real Madrid is far more stable financially than their rivals, FC Barcelona.
However, there are still a handful of players Los Blancos should try and get rid of to clear some pricey wages out.
Isco, Gareth Bale, and Marcelo all saw their contracts expire at the end of this season. That’s a good start. Now, Real Madrid must find loan deals, loan to buy deals, or sell the likes of Asensio, Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz, and Jesus Vallejo.
Jovic, Mariano, and Jesus Vallejo combined to play 1,041 minutes across the league campaign in 2021/2022. The three combined to start just 8 games. They made 29 combined league appearances in total.
Why pay so much money to keep them sitting around on the bench when they are not considered adequate options to bring in to change a match?
Though Marco Asensio was on the pitch more regularly, he clearly doesn’t have that same creative spark/energy that made him such an attractive youngster when he signed. His form is inconsistent, he was clearly outplayed by Rodrygo and Valverde on his preferred right-wing, and there are clubs interested in signing Asensio who will pay good money for him.
Since Real Madrid is set to take a loss on the Jovic and Mariano deals, might as well make a profit off of Asensio while you still can, right?
1. Try to sign Reece James
The Chelsea fullback has rightfully earned Real Madrid’s attention in the last couple of years with his tremendous play for both club and country.
After the quarterfinal bout with The Blues, Real’s interest has only grown. Reece James’ interest in leaving Chelsea for a new adventure is also growing considerably.
Dani Carvajal is not the same player he was a few years back. There is tremendous concern regarding his long-term health. After loaning Alvaro Odriozola to Fiorentina last summer, Lucas Vazquez was deployed at right-back far more than he should have been.
Carvajal redeemed himself in the last couple of months of the season putting in great shifts in both the league and Champions League knockout rounds, but his injury history and ability to stay on the pitch are concerning.
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It’s safe to say that Odriozola is not the future at fullback on that side, Vazquez is not a natural defender even though he can do it if needed, and Carvajal is now 30. Reece James is a perfect fit for Real Madrid’s tactics and he’s just 22.