Real Madrid are focusing their efforts on overhauling the midfield this summer transfer window after the unit that was once the pride and foundation of the club fell totally apart last season. Los Blancos have simply not been the same since they officially lost the entire legendary trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric, with each successive exit hurt Real Madrid far more than they could have ever acknowledged.
While Los Blancos do have three top midfielders remaining in Fede Valverde, Arda Guler, and, of course, Jude Bellingham, the way these three fit together is simply not the same. And Jose Mourinho knows that he needs more technical, controlling, and cerebral profiles in the squad who can win the chess match in the game. Bellingham and Fede are great athletes and box to box, but Guler is not a real holding midfielder and Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga have been disappointments.
As Real Madrid target Enzo Fernandez hard as their No. 1 priority at the base of the midfield, Mourinho has eyes on another profile he wants to bring to the team, too. According to a report from MARCA, the legendary Portuguese manager would like to bring in a profile similar to Luka Modric in the midfield again.
Real Madrid have the impossible under their grasp
Finding the next Modric is just about as impossible as a task as it sounds, and Real Madrid owe Mourinho a LOT for the way he brought in and backed Modric more than a decade ago, even when Real Madrid newspapers were voting him a flop.
The curious thing is, though, Real Madrid do have a ready made opportunity to sign a potential heir to Modric for less than ten million euros. Because Nico Paz, the standout at Como last season, has a little bit of Modric to his game, in the sense that he is a playmaker who is more of a well rounded midfielder than a playmaker who can affect the game with goals and assists yet also carry the ball and even win possession defensively.
Take a look at Paz's numbers as he was the leader in pulling Como up to a historic Champions League qualification as Serie A's best overall player. The 21 year old scored 12 goals and 6 assists with 3.2 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game and 3.6 combined tackles and interceptions per game. He was an elite ball progressor and ball winner, as well as someone who changed the outcome of games.
If anyone has a shot at being a Luka Modric heir, then it is Nico Paz. But Real Madrid sound prepared to sell him to 60 million euros to a Champions League rival in the Premier League or to 2023 and 2025 finalists Inter Milan; Mourinho may be letting his Modric profile get away from him anyway.
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