A year of poor football and no titles herald a summer of movement in the transfer market. Real Madrid has not performed as expected after ending last season with LaLiga and the Champions League under its belt. Carlo Ancelotti’s model has run its course and the team is undergoing a change of cycle that will involve a revolution in the squad after the shortcomings shown throughout this season.
The biggest problem for Carlo Ancelotti was a defense plagued by injuries and the poor performance of players who were expected to be key players, which greatly affected the team. The goals were useless, and they also came at a cost due to the poor performance of players such as Vinicius and Rodrygo, if the team was a sieve at the back. Doubts about many players in the defensive line have meant that Real Madrid has had to get to work in the boardroom to strengthen the back line.
Defense a priority for Real Madrid
Without a doubt, when thinking about the transfer market to improve the squad, Real Madrid’s priority has been defense. The first signing came before the end of the season with the announcement of the arrival of Dean Huijsen to strengthen the center of the defense. The Spanish center back had been on the radar of the Whites for some time due to his solidity in defense despite his youth, and his offensive ability, taking advantage of his power and height (6’5″), which makes him very good in the air.
The second official signing, although the agreement with the player had been in place for months, was right-back Trent Alexander Arnold, who will fill the vacancy left by Lucas Vázquez and compete with captain Dani Carvajal, who is out for the season due to injury. As we said, the agreement with the player had been in place for some time after he decided not to renew with Liverpool and set his sights on the Santiago Bernabéu. However, in order to have him available for the Club World Cup and not wait until July 1 for his arrival, an agreement had to be reached with the English club, which has been estimated at €5-10 million.
The other task in the transfer market with regard to defense was the arrival of a left back. After considering various names, the main candidate was Álvaro Carreras, an old acquaintance of the club who has had a great season at Benfica, who found it difficult to lower the asking price for the Galician full-back, this being the main issue in the negotiations until the end.
Real Madrid does not rule out another full-back
The doubts raised throughout the season by Mendy and Fran García mean that the Whites are not ruling out the possibility that both could leave. In addition, there are fears about the French full-back’s injury record, so the door is left open for a second signing for the left side of the defense. The name that is being mentioned most is Alejandro Grimaldo, who Xabi Alonso knows well from his time at Bayer Leverkusen this season. The player has already expressed his desire to return to LaLiga on several occasions, and even more so to play for Real Madrid. In addition, Real Madrid has not forgotten Milos Kerkez. The Hungarian player from Bournemouth has attracted a lot of interest in the market and is also on Liverpool’s agenda.