It seems all but confirmed that Real Madrid will be signing at least one new midfielder in the summer. There has been a lack of creativity in the middle of the park that was one of several issues during Xabi Alonso's short-lived reign.
The La Liga giants could splash the cash on a young starlet who looks the real deal but hasn't quite shown he can handle the pressure of wearing a Los Merengues shirt. But an experienced profile should be under consideration amid a lack of leaders at the Estadio Bernabeu.
A fiery clash between Real Madrid target and his boss
An interesting potential option is Youri Tielemans who has been linked with Madrid and probably wouldn't be too expensive. The Aston Villa man has long been one of the Premier League's most highly-regarded midfielders and had seemed happy at Villa Park.
Tielemans spoke this week about conversations taking place in his homeland of Belgium about his future. A broadcaster suggested he was good enough to make the move to the Bernabeu and he admitted he'd consider a potential offer from Madrid.
The 28-year-old is one of Unai Emery's most important players at Villa but the pair were involved in a fiesty touchline exchange in the Europa League on Thursday. When the Belgian was subbed off Emery threw his arms around and confronted his midfielder.
Tielemans was supposed to walk off to manage the clock but see the werey jogging off.. https://t.co/c79wO1qLKO pic.twitter.com/cmBM2zCHsr
— Michael (@commissionase) January 22, 2026
Emery downplayed the incident after the game and claimed he was his "son." But it's not the first time the Spanish coach has lost his cool about his players this season and it might just be a sign that he's losing faith in his squad.
That doesn't mean Tielemans will be handing in a transfer request and push to leave Villa but it wasn't the best look for the manager. If Madrid were to come calling in the summer he could be tempted to make the switch to one of Europe's biggest clubs.
Tielemans has just over two years on his contract with the Villans and has been at the club since the summer of 2023. At this stage of his career, if he wants to win major trophies, a possible Bernabeu spell could be extremely enticing.
Ex-Madrid star Eden Hazard on 'major player' Tielemans
Madrid's last Belgian signing was Eden Hazard who will go down as one of the biggest dissapointments in the club's history due to constant injury problems. He remains the most expensive in Los Blancos' history after arriving from Chelsea in 2019 for €120.8m.
Hazard played alongside Tielemans at international level during his playing career and gave a glowing endorsement of the Villa man. He predicted a bright future back in March 2019 (via All Football):
"Compliments to him [Tielemans]. He will become a major player."
Tielemans arrived in England that same year when he joined Leicester from AS Monaco. He went on to win the FA Cup with the Foxes scoring a sensational winner in a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the 2021 final.
The Belgian has yet to play his football in Spain and that might be another factor that plays its role in a possible Madrid move. If the recruitment staff want advice about whether to target the Belgium international look no further than his compatriot Thibaut Courtois.