Real Madrid transfer targets list for the 2024 summer transfer window

Real Madrid are actively seeking transfers in the 2024 summer transfer window. With Carlo Ancelotti at the helm and Florentino Perez above him, it was always going to be the case that Real Madrid would seek new signings in the transfer window

Last season, Real Madrid won the treble, by lifting La Liga title, the Champions League and the Supercoa de Espana. Therefore, improvement on last season will be hard, but if anybody knows a way to improve, it's Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti has remained calm in the buildup to the transfer window, as this has always been the case for Real Madrid. They can afford to take their time, since they have massive pulling power as a club of their gigantic size.

But with all this in mind, who are Real Madrid linked to? Here is a conclusive Real Madrid transfer targets list in the 2024 summer transfer window, updated routinely for the latest news...

Top Transfer Targets for Real Madrid

1. Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)

Alphonso Davies is one of the best defenders in the world and he has been for some time. First breaking through the Bayern Munich academy after being signed by Vancouver Whitecaps, Davies made his league debut for the Bayern Munich first-team in 2019.

What initially strikes fans about Alphonso Davies is his incredible speed on the left flank. Primarily a left-back, he has the ability to play as a winger, given his attacking nature and rapid pace. If he were to sign for Real Madrid, he would likely stick to the left-back position, given Real Madrid have a stacked attack. However, it's good to know that Carlo Ancelotti has the option at left-wing.

Despite a player having incredible speed, it means nothing if they are not agile or intelligent in terms of decision-making. What makes Alphonso Davies stand out above other fast players is that he is incredible agile and snappy with the ball at his feet. This stands him in good stead in one-on-one attacking situations, since he keeps the ball close to his feet to beat his opposing winger.

Alphonso Davies has incredible leadership qualities. He captains the Canada national team having picked up the honour despite being one of the most junior players in their roster.

Furthermore, Davies is an exceptional defender. He has the ability to track back and his strength allows him to out-muscle his opposing wingers off the ball. He truly is a force to be reckoned with, hence Real Madrid's interest.

Real Madrid have made no secret of their desire to sign Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich. The player seemingly wishes to join Real Madrid too. However, the thing which prevents Real Madrid from securing a deal is Bayern Munich, who wish to keep ahold of Davies even as he enters the final season of his contract.

Therefore, Real Madrid will wait until Canada return from the 2024 Copa America to decide on Davies' future. They will either pursue him this summer, or wait until he becomes a free agent in 2024.

2. William Saliba (Arsenal)

William Saliba, like Leny Yoro, first broke through in Ligue 1. He came through the Saint-Étienne academy and instantly proved himself, acting in a mature manner in the defence.

He was noticed by Arsenal's scouting team and officially signed in 2019. However, after he was signed, Saliba was sent on three different loan spells back to Ligue 1 with Saint-Étienne, Nice and Marseille. There were question marks about whether new manager Mikel Arteta had Saliba in his long-term plans, considering the consistent loan spells.

It was at the beginning of the 2022/23 season where William Saliba truly made a name for himself, though. Handed his Arsenal debut in the Premier League, Saliba became a non-negotiable starter for Arsenal and he is now recognised as one of, if not the best defender in the Premier League, taking the title from a certain Virgil van Dijk.

William Saliba's defensive style is much more composed. He is not the type to go diving into challenges, in fact he is on his feet more often than the ground. He is a clean tackler and one who makes the art of defending look easy.

He is a well-respected figure at Arsenal and fans tend to believe that if Arsenal are to win the Premier League, it has to be with Saliba in the defence. In fact, many attribute their title-bottle in 2022/23 to the injury of William Saliba halfway through the season, which is where Arsenal's poorest form came in that season.

In case the deal for Leny Yoro fell through, which it has, Real Madrid had located alternative options. They would like to remain in France, this time for a defender who is tearing it apart at EURO 2024. So much so, he has caught the attention of Real Madrid.

However, William Saliba is a more premium option. It is believed Arsenal will only accept close to €140m for Saliba's services.

3. Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen)

Now that Leny Yoro has signed for Manchester United instead of Real Madrid, the onus is on the Spanish side to locate transfer alternatives. Thankfully, Carlo Ancelotti and Florentino Perez are one step ahead of the curve, like they so often are in these situations.

Bayer Leverkusen are at the top of the game right now. It goes without saying that they have caught the attention of everyone in the football landscape, having beaten Bayern Munich to a historic Bundesliga win last season. Not only did they win the league, they did so in comfortable fashion by not losing a single game throughout.

Managed by Real Madrid legend Xabi Alonso, it is natural that Bayer Leverkusen have elements of Real Madrid in their play. It's a key factor in them winning the league and, of course, for attracting the interest of Carlo Ancelotti. Having previously managed Bayern, Ancelotti knows it takes a great team to beat them to the title.

So, the Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie has emerged as a Real Madrid transfer target. According to an update by Rodra (a journalist followed by Fabrizio Romano on X), Real Madrid have located Piero Hincapie as a transfer solution, after missing out on Leny Yoro.

Piero Hincapie joined Bayer Leverkusen as a youngster in 2021 and has only grown in stature since then. The 22-year-old has made 83 Bundesliga appearances since his arrival, winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in the process. He was also part of the Leverkusen team who missed out on the Europa League, losing in the final.

Hincapie is a tenacious defender and one who is not afraid to put his body on the line. When he wins back the ball, he is comfortable in possession. Out of possession, he is spatially aware and has a keen eye on everything. These traits combined would certainly make him a contender for Real Madrid.

Current Team Analysis

Looking at the Real Madrid team, it is hard to pick out the weaknesses. Last season, Carlo Ancelotti led the side to a historic treble-winning season.

They have a rampant attack which consists of three Ballon d'Or contenders - Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. There is excellent squad depth in the attack too, with Arda Guler, Rodrygo and Endrick all eager to get minutes on the board.

The Toni Kroos retirement has thrown a spanner into the works, so Real Madrid could potentially target a new midfielder in the summer transfer window to replace him. However, the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos and Luka Modric all have what it takes to start in this Real Madrid team.

Perhaps the most notable area of concern for Real Madrid is their defence. At right-back, Dani Carvajal is still playing to a world-class level. However, he is 32 years old now, so Carlo Ancelotti will be wary of this. At centre back, Eder Militao is the best long-term option for Real Madrid, with Anotnio Rudiger (31) and David Alaba (32) approaching the final stages of their careers.

At left-back, Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia are more than capable of starting but this is arguably the weakest position for Real Madrid.

There are two excellent goalkeepers at Real Madrid with Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin. However, the latter is likely on his way out this summer, since he is unhappy playing backup to Courtois.

Financial Considerations

Throughout history, Real Madrid have proven themselves to be one of the richest clubs in the world. However, rarely have they spent over the odds on luxury players they do not need. Instead, particularly in the Florentino Perez era, they have been frugal and spent their resources well.

This is expected to be the same scenario in the 2024 summer transfer window. According to a report from Spanish outlet SPORT (h/t Khel Now), Real Madrid have set their budget for the remainder of the summer transfer window as €70-80 million, with an additional €10–20 million allocated towards incentives.

Real Madrid are in a very strong position, in this regard. They are not in any immediate rush to strengthen a certain position. If they were to go into the 2024/25 campaign with their current squad, fans would be content. So, this only means that they can spend more time crafting a perfect transfer window, rather than rush into bidding wars and the like.

With Endrick and Kylian Mbappe already costing a premium (despite Mbappe being a free agent, he is expected to be on around €295k-€300K per week), this leaves room for Real Madrid to be frugal in the remainder of the transfer window.

Youth Prospects and Academy Graduates

Needless to say, Real Madrid will not allow their summer spending deter them from their infamous production of youth. In fact, it remains a priority in the mind of Carlo Ancelott, who is aware that he's not getting any younger. Therefore, he would like to bulletproof Real Madrid for his eventual retirement.

Nico Paz is perhaps the most exciting Real Madrid academy graduate at this moment in time and 2024/25 is expected to be a big season for him. In fact, he made his first team debut last season, making four appearances in total. He even had a stamp on the Champions League win, as he scored a vital goal in the group stage against Napoli. He could provide excellent backup to Jude Bellingham.

Any mention of "Zidane" is enough to get Real Madrid fans jumping for joy, so they will be glad to know Zinedine's son Theo is on the cusp of first-team action, now ageing at 22 years old.

One more player who could certainly provide cutting edge to the first team is Manuel Angel, the 20-year-old Real Madrid Castilla midfielder. As an all-round midfielder, he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Toni Kroos. Therefore, Ancelotti may feel like his resources are better spent away from the midfield.

Fan and Expert Opinions

Carlo Ancelotti's inner monologue is incredibly hard to predict. As a calm manager who rarely gives anything away to the media, fans often find themselves turning to other fans and experts of Real Madrid to decipher what could be the best course of action for Real Madrid in the transfer window.

No matter where you look, the logical conclusion is that Real Madrid must first focus their attention on signing a new defender. At the very least, Real Madrid need a centre back and a full-back. This is because in the centre, Nacho Fernandez has left the club, at right-back Ferland Mendy is one year away from free agency and on the left, both Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez are approaching their final chapter.

As per ESPN, Real Madrid should make four new signings (in addition to Mbappe and Endrick). Gab Marcotti believes that at least two of them should be starting-quality and the others could be projects for the future.

Indeed, heading into the window, GOAL produced a six-player shortlist for Real Madrid. Of the six, five of them played in the defence. The only non-defender in the list turned out to be a player that Real Madrid have signed, Kylian Mbappe. GOAL put forward five defenders in Raphael Varane (again), Rafa Marin (who returns from loan), Goncalo Inacio, Giorgio Scalvini and Piero Hincapie

Conclusion

To summarise, Real Madrid are in no rush in the 2024 summer transfer window. They are coming off the back of a treble-winning season and Carlo Ancelotti is blessed with the best squad in the world.

Securing the deals for Endrick and Kylian Mbappe heading into the transfer window has already put them in a solid position. The main emphasis will be on bulking up the depth in positions such as centre back and left-back, with players ageing or leaving the club.

In many ways, Real Madrid will wish to continue to assert their dominance next season, not just in Spain but in Europe. Therefore, this summer presents a golden opportunity to get ahead of the curve.

As eluded to, though, Carlo Ancelotti is approaching this window in a calm manner. With all factors combined, they don't necessarily "need" to eat into their transfer budget but if it's there, why not utilise it?

FAQs

Who are Real Madrid’s top transfer targets this season? Alphonso Davies, William Saliba & Piero Hincapie.

Which positions does Real Madrid need to strengthen the most? Centre back, left back & central midfield

How much is Real Madrid’s transfer budget? €70-80 million, with €10–20 million for incentives.

Are there any key players expected to leave Real Madrid? Joselu (sold), Nacho Fernandez (sold) and Toni Kroos (retired) have already left. Andriy Lunin is expected to leave through discontent and Rodrygo could leave through lack of playing time.

What impact will new signings have on the team’s performance? Real Madrid have a near-perfect squad but strengthening in squad depth could be the catalyst for another treble-winning season next time out.