Real Madrid will be buyers in the summer 2026 transfer window, and and the key priorities for this team will be beefing up the center back position further and adding some deep lying midfield talent to the fold.
Aurelien Tchouameni has taken a step forward under Alvaro Arbeloa in recent weeks, galvanized by the call up of young Thiago Pitarch, who looks like one of the next great defensive midfielders in La Liga, already orchestrating play for this team.
But Real Madrid need more help, particularly creativity. According to a report from Diario AS, there are seven top midfielders the Merengues will be after this summer transfer window. The big three of Rodri, Vitinha, and Enzo Fernandez are on the radar. Young stars Kees Smit and Adam Wharton are also on the shortlist. But Real Madrid are also looking at Liverpool center midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and Newcastle star Sandro Tonali.
Vitinha is not realistic for Real Madrid
Out of these names, about half the list seems unrealistic. Enzo will likely be too costly. Rodri doesn't seem to be of interest to Florentino Perez due to his age and ACL tear two years ago. Kees Smit isn't good enough yet. PSG won't sell Vitinha.
So that leaves Mac Allister, Wharton, and Tonali as the most viable targets. Mac Allister is having a horrendous 2025/26 season for Liverpool, but so is about half the team. He is a World Cup hero for Argentina and was one of the best players in the Premier League in 2024/25 - and before that with Brighton - when the Reds won the title.
Wharton is a future star who is crushing it as a deep lying creator for a mediocre Crystal Palace side. Tonali has been solid for Newcastle and AC Milan over the years, though almost every top club in the Premier League is looking to steal him away from St. James's Park.
The slam dunk options like Vitinha are probably not going to be available to Real Madrid at a reasonable price, and you can assume that the same will be said for Mac Allister. So Real may have to choose between Tonali and Wharton, depending on if they want someone with experience like Tonali or someone with more potential like Wharton. But it is surprising that Angelo Stiller, who has outplayed all of these secondary options in the last two seasons, isn't on the short list right now.