Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme wants to pull out all the stops to convince Madridistas to vote for him as the club's new president to succeed incumebtn Florentino Perez, and he has been telling people that he has been planning two superstar signings for Los Merengues this summer, including one star from the Spanish national team. Here are five players he could be talking about.
Tottenham Hotspur RB Pedro Porro
Tottenham Hotspur star right back Pedro Porro was on Real Madrid's transfer radar years ago in 2021/22 at Sporting CP before he became a Premier League star, and Real would do well to pair him with Trent Alexander-Arnold. He may be too good for the bench, but Porro is a great player who would be 10 times better at a club like Real Madrid than one like Spurs.
Bayer Leverkusen LB Alex Grimaldo
One of Real Madrid's biggest needs is a new left back, and Alex Grimaldo is a real technician who can score goals better than most wingers in world football. A great creator and solid defender, Grimaldo is the left back Real Madrid should have signed last year, not Alvaro Carreras despite the latter being younger. Perhaps Riquelme can rectify this by bringing on Xabi Alonso's old gem.
Arsenal DM Martin Zubimendi
Xabi Alonso desperately wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi, but given the former Real Sociedad man has played himself into criticism and out of the Arsenal starting lineup, perhaps it was a good thing Florentino Perez did not listen. Zubi may still be a better player than Aurelien Tchouameni, but he would be the most underwhelming signing for Riquelme on this list.
PSG CM Fabian Ruiz
Years ago, Real Madrid were pondering Bruno Fernandes and Fabian Ruiz as possible signings in the 2019/20 season, and it is a shame they did not end up with either. Between the two former Real Betis stars, Ruiz has been miles beyond Dani Ceballos in the middle of the park, and after showing great finesse and control as a technical wizard for Napoli, the previously underappreciated Spanish international has become one of the best in the world at PSG. Real Madrid desperately want all three starting midfielders in Paris, and while Ruiz is more overlooked, he may also be more realistic.
Manchester City CM Rodri
The list ends with Rodri, who is a very achievable target despite playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and being a Ballon d'Or winner. Enrique Riquelme has spoken enough about Rodri in concrete terms that he's probably not the Spanish World Cup star he is talking about, but Rodri would still be a huge signing for an ailing midfield.
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