Real Madrid appear to want to make a splash in the middle of the park to upgrade a midfield that no longer has sufficient control or technical quality to truly compete with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich at the elite level, as the Merengues never even tried to replace the colossal outputs of legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, who departed the club in each of the past two summer transfer windows.
Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez is one of the names at the top of the Real Madrid wish list alongside fellow Premier League star Rodri, a bit of an infamous Spanish Ballon d'Or winner for the Madrid faithful.
But Real Madrid aren't just after midfielders. Their biggest needs as Jose Mourinho prepares for the job are in defense, and in addition to needing multiple new center backs, Real Madrid could use a more established left back who can play great defense, because Ferland Mendy is probably never going to be healthy and Alvaro Carreras may not be the answer after his big money 2025 move.
Real Madrid are being linked to Marc Cucurella
According to a report from The Athletic's Mario Cortegana, via the Madrid Zone, Real Madrid are among the clubs who appreciate Chelsea star left back Marc Cucurella, a former Barcelona academy man and Getafe star (which is usually the opposite of what Madrid want). The 2024 European Championship hero for Spain (and villain for everyone else) has, like Enzo Fernandez, been wanting out of Chelsea for months during that failed Liam Rosenior tenure.
Per Cortegana, Cucurella may not be realistic for Real Madrid, because they may not want to pay the transfer fee and wages. So whlie they are fans of Cucurella as a player and left back solution, it is uncertain if Florentino Perez will formally go for him.
Enzo is also in that uncertainty, as is Rodri and so many other top transfer targets at multiple positions. There are players who want to move to Real Madrid and huge needs in a Madrid squad that did not achieve any major silverware for two straight seasons, but Florentino - or even Enrique Riquelme - actually signing them is another thing.
What may make a move for Cucurella sweeter is the chance to rob Xabi Alonso of one of his best and most important players before even beginning to work with him. Although Chelsea are not in European football right now, Alonso would love to build something special to get one over on Real Madrid after Florentino Perez gave up on him so quickly - and Flo would surely want to prevent that.
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