Real Madrid were embarrassed in yet another big game, as Arsenal outplayed the Merengues at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, winning 2-1 to send Los Blancos packing on a humiliating 5-1 aggregate.
This, in combination with multiple blowout losses to Barcelona and disasterclasses against Liverpool and AC Milan in the Champions League has made it abundantly clear that Real's squad simply isn't at the level necessary to compete at the highest level of European foootball.
Despite winning the Champions League and LaLiga last season, Real Madrid got complacent with reenforcing their defense and midfield after Toni Kroos's retirement, and ACL tears to both Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal effectively sunk their season.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold likely to join as a free agent from Liverpool this summer, let's take a look at three additional signings that are essential to ensuring Real Madrid win a major trophy in the 2025/26 season.
Bournemouth CB Dean Huijsen
When Eder Militao returns from his injury, he will be penciled in as a starter, but we've seen how devastating torn ACLs can be. Real Madrid have watched two players who were previously important to Champions League success, Marco Asensio and David Alaba, becomes shells of their former selves. Defenders, especially those with Militao's profile, shouldn't decline too rapidly after one injury, but Militao is now coming off two ACL tears. They may be to different knees, but the impact of two could be devastating.
So Real Madrid have to plan for the worst at center back. And even if Militao comes back 100 percent in 2025/26, they still need to sign another center back. Aurelien Tchouameni cannot play the position at the highest level, and Barcelona already exposed that quite painfully to Real Madrid.
David Alaba has to go at this stage, and Antonio Rudiger should probably be jettisoned out with him. Both players are aging with inflated wages, and Rudiger's reputation has been inflated, too. Raul Asencio has shown he is worthy of being a starter at Real Madrid, but he isn't the finished product yet. Joan Martinez is arguably even more talented but is definitley rawer with no real top-level experience yet, and he's also coming off an ACL tear.
The best center back on the transfer market is Dean Huijsen. With a 50 million euro release clause, the Bournemouth breakout star is a top-class, ascending, and proven Premier League starter who is worth the price. A Spanish international, Huijsen was trained in Italy at both Roma and Juventus, so he already has a pedigree of training spanning multiple leagues.
As Real Madrid have found out, slam dunks at the center back position are few and far between, so signing one of the Premier League's biggest breakout central defenders, who has learned from the Spanish and Italian styles, is a rare opportunity. And Huijsen is just 20 years old.
Inter Milan LB Federico Dimarco
I'm not sure what exactly Real Madrid are planning to do with Fran Garcia and Ferland Mendy at left back, but it's painfully obvious that neither of them are at the level necessary to start for a team with Champions League title aspirations in 2025/26.
Mendy was previously touted as a shutdown defender, but even that aspect of his game has declined over the past year. His attacking ineptitude has become so untenable that Real Madrid have phased him out of the lineup for Fran, who has simply looked overmatched at the position and unable to assert himself under the pressure of Real Madrid.
A reunion with Theo Hernandez could be a great move, but I feel that Real Madrid should look to the neighboring club in Milano and sign Inter Milan left wing back Federico Dimarco. Although that risks Real becoming too attacking between Dimarco and Alexander-Arnold on both flanks, with the right moves at center back and defensive midfield, it should still work. And TAA and Dimarco are both significantly better defenders than Lucas Vazquez and Fran, respectively.
Dimarco is a total weapon at left back and could even help Real Madrid shift to more back three looks under a new manager, if necessary. The 27-year-old is in the prime of his career and has helped Inter reach the Champions League semifinals for a second time in three years, and they are well on their way to back-to-back Scudetto wins.
With an endless motor and a rocket of a left boot, Dimarco is a threat to score or assist on any given possession. He never stops working and is a well above-average progressor and creator. Basically, he's a souped-up version of Fran and could be the kind of weapon no team in LaLiga knows quite how to cope with.
Juventus DM Manuel Locatelli
Martin Zubimendi is the most popular option in the defensive midfield, but I wonder if Real Madrid should consider a less obvious answer. If Juventus make Manuel Locatelli available as part of some sort of firesale in the summer, pending their future direction at manager, I think Real Madrid should call them up and attempt to resurrect the former Sassuolo man.
Looking past Locatelli's struggles at a completely dysfunctional Juventus side, the Italian international has a lot of the traits that Real Madrid are looking for in midfield. He is a natural-born leader who works hard, reads the game well defensively, can play physically, knows how to shield the back line, is a highy accurate passer, creates without being stagnant, can maintain control of a game, and can score great goals from outside the box.
Before moving to Juventus, Locatelli was one of the best controlling midfielders in European football, and had Real Madrid sought to replace Toni Kroos at that time, I have no doubts that the Sassuolo star would have been atop their wishlist. He had at least three combined tackles and interceptions, more than a foul drawn, and more than a key pass per game in both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons with at least five goal contributions.
Locatelli is a Rolls Royce midfielder just waiting to break out, and a move to a more stable organization with an established starting lineup will help him. He benefited a lot from Roberto De Zerbi having a clear plan, which Juve haven't had, and Real Madrid will do the same with a new manager. Locatelli could be a great low-risk, high-reward buy in a position where it is difficult to find an athletic and ceberal profile like his.