A new midfielder could arrive at Real Madrid in the summer and the shortlist seems to grow weekly. Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, AZ Alkmaar's Kees Smit and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez are among the names rumored to be on the club's radar.
Florentino Perez has never liked conducting business in January and he isn't expected to do so before the transfer window closes on February 2nd. The only potential option to arrive this month seems to be Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves because his contract expires in the summer and he might be available for a cut-price fee.
Another name that has come up as a possible Madrid midfield target for the summer is Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans. The club isn't linked with the Belgian but his performances in the Premier League have many in his homeland backing him to make the step up to one of Europe's elite clubs.
Premier League star on potential Real Madrid move
Tielemans has long been one of English football's most impressive midfield talents and starred at Leicester City before joining Villa in 2023. He has been a key man for Unai Emery this season, appearing 20 times and providing one goal and five assists.
The 28-year-old has helped the Villans mount a credible title challenge, currently sitting third, level on points with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. They are seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
Belgian broadcaster Filip Joos has tipped Tielemans to arrive at the Bernabeu on the basis of his excellent displays in England. The midfielder responded to this by admitting he'd entertain a potential offer from Madrid.
Tielemans told sporza that he is happy at Villa which is a 'top' club: "I also received that statement from Filip Joos. They're nice words from him, but I've never been there. So I wouldn't know what it's like there."
"For me, Aston Villa is already the top. We're already performing at a high level and have the ambition to go even higher. I'm really not thinking about anything else at the moment."
But Tielemans seemed to open the door for a potential move to the Spanish capital if Madrid came calling:
"If something came my way, I would definitely consider it. Things can move quickly in football. But my agent is responsible for that. I try not to think about it too much myself."
Tielemans has two years left on his contract so isn't exactly tied to the English club long term. He might be someone that the La Liga giants take into consideration because of his experience and ball-playing abilities.
Tielemans would be a brilliant buy for Madrid
If Madrid don't want to fork out a hefty fee on a young midfield talent then Tielemans would be a good piece of business to help strengthen midfield. He has proven to be one of the Premier League's most reliable central midfielders and his talent on the ball has earned rave reviews.
The Belgium international possesses a different profile than the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. He is a nifty little box-to-box midfielder who has an eye for goal and has scored some stunning strikes over the years including in an FA Cup final win for Leicester.
Madrid can expect to pay over €80m for the likes of Wharton given he's only 21 years old and is expected to become one of England's future main stars. That's also likely to be the case if the club target Chelsea's Fernandez who cost them a club-record €121m back in January 2023.