If there is one thing that is clear this season, it is that Real Madrid desperately miss Toni Kroos' presence in the midfield. His ability to control the tempo and pick out passes for fun were the glue that held the midfield together and without him the midfield is somewhat in shambles.
Many thought Aurelien Tchouameni would be the player to step up and fill the shoes of Kroos when it comes to controlling the pace and tempo of the game, however, those shoes were too big to be filled by the Frenchman. Carlo Ancelotti has played a number of different players in that position this season and has yet to find the perfect fit.
With that being said, Ancelotti and the club have drawn up a wishlist of potential Kroos replacements to consider, with all three options being standout midfielders in the Premier League.
Real Madrid eyeing three Premier League midfielders
According to the Daily Mail, Real Madrid have their eyes on Liverpool's Curtis Jones, Manchester City's Rodri, and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez as potential replacements for the retired Toni Kroos as they look to patch up this seasons leaky midfield.
Curtis Jones has established himself as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League this season, playing a key role in Liverpool's 2-0 dispatching of Real Madrid in their most recent Champions League game. The Englishman has completed an impressive 94.8% of his passes this season, which is the kind of Kroos-like consistency the midfield has been lacking this season.
Rodri is a player who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in the past and is the most similar profile to Toni Kroos. This years Ballon d'Or winner is arguably the best tempo-controlling midfielder in the world, which is what Los Blancos are desperately missing this season.
The case of Enzo Fernandez is an interesting one, the Argentine had a tough first two years at Chelsea but has finally found his footing at the London club under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
While either of these three signings would be fantastic from Real Madrid's standpoint, the biggest issue would be the transfer fees. Each player would easily come with a transfer fee of over €100 and it is unknown if the club has that kind of money to splash on one player when there are other places in the squad that need reinforcing.