![[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 4, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Al Hilal's Ruben Neves looks on during a minutes silence in tribute to Liverpool's Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva before the match during a quarterfinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Mckay-Reuters via Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_5420,h_3048/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/384/01kgmp9njqkm2kwekyq0.jpg "[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 4, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Al Hilal's Ruben Neves looks on during a minutes silence in tribute to Liverpool's Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva before the match during a quarterfinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Mckay-Reuters via Imagn Images")
Ever since Toni Kroos' retirement at the end of the 2023/24 season, one of Real Madrid's main objectives has been to find the perfect replacement for the German legend. However, the club has fallen short with almost every attempt, and they've tried a number of different options.
The most logical option would have been to use Luka Modric as the Kroos replacement, but given his age, Real decided not to extend the Croatian's contract and allowed him to depart for AC Milan. With Modric gone, the club has tried to use players like Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Federico Valverde as the deep-lying, pass master of the midfield, but hasn't found any success with any of them.
Xabi Alonso pointed this issue out to the club and requested the signing of Martin Zubimendi, but the club denied his request, and the midfielder ended up signing for Arsenal. Real are now realising the mistake they've made and are scouring the transfer market for their Kroos replacement, and they just missed out on one of their top options due to their incompetence.
Potential Kroos replacement signs new deal
As officially announced by Al Hilal, midfielder Ruben Neves has signed a new extension, tying him to the Saudi Club until at least 2029. The Portuguese had been linked to a potential return to Europe throughout January but ultimately decided to stay in Riyadh.
The midfielder was reportedly offered to Real Madrid at the end of December, but the club decided not to pursue his signing, resulting in the player ultimately extending at Al Hilal. Real opted to not sign anyone during the January transfer window, preferring to wait until the summer to pursue their signings, but now one is off the table.
The 28-year-old has managed 18 goals and 30 assists in 115 games for the Saudi club, and missing out on his signing is a major blow to Real's future transfer plans, as he is the ideal midfielder the club has been missing the last few years. His ability to perfectly control the tempo and his playmaking ability are exactly what Real need right now to fix their midfield problems, but their decision to wait till the summer to sign him blew up right in their faces.
With Neves now off the table, Real now have to look elsewhere for their ideal Kroos replacement, but the issue is that there aren't many that are realistically available like Neves was. Real Madrid are admirers of players like Vitinha, Enzo Fernandez, and Aleksandar Pavlovic, but none of them would be financially feasible to sign this summer, so who Madrid sign instead will only time tell.