Mastantuono has brought everything to a standstill at Real Madrid. The Argentine gem has become available just when it seemed that his signing with PSG was imminent. This has had a domino effect on the Whites’ transfer policy for this season. It seems that the search for a central midfielder will be postponed until after the Club World Cup, although nothing is ruled out at this stage.
Stiller and his arrival at Real Madrid
Angelo Stiller had emerged as one of the leading candidates to take the reins at Real Madrid in midfield. The 24-year-old international with Germany and VfB Stuttgart has become one of the most promising players in the Bundesliga and in the German national team itself. Apart from being left-footed, he is a player who has been compared to Toni Kroos, a calm player with the ball at his feet, capable of organizing the team’s play with both long and short passes, able to create his own space to get an overview of what is happening on the pitch, and also very committed to his defensive duties.
Real Madrid is not alone; other teams have their eyes on the midfielder, so a quick decision will have to be made, but that would mean paying $50 million. Another option being considered is for him to stay with the team for another year, which seems unlikely, but would lower the price to $36 million.
Zubimendi back in action
It seemed that Martin Zubimendi had a deal with Arsenal, but he himself has denied that an agreement has been reached. Contacts have been made and negotiations could be at an advanced stage, but during the Nations League camp with Spain, although he did not talk about his future, he did say that Xabi Alonso was his idol. We do not know if there have been contacts between the player and the Tolosa-born coach or with any Real Madrid representative, but the situation looks very tempting for the midfielder, one of Xabi Alonso’s preferences to take the helm in midfield.
Real Madrid signings
Real Madrid has started strongly in the transfer market—opened early for the Club World Cup—with the arrival of Alexander-Arnold from Dean Huijsen. It seems that Álvaro Carreras is about to sign, although the deal has not yet been finalized, and the arrival of Mastantuono is one of the big surprises in recent hours, who could also be very close to signing.
But that won’t be the only news at Real Madrid, who still want to sign a striker to bolster a team with many new faces for the start of a new era.
Of course, for new players to arrive, others must leave. The board wants four players to leave, two of them in exchange for a substantial sum of millions. These are Rodrygo and Camavinga, and the club hopes to receive around €150 million between them. The other two departures sought by the board are Fran García and Alaba. The latter, one of the highest paid players on the squad, would remain as the fifth defender. However, he wants to see out the year remaining on his contract and continue competing at the highest level ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Real Madrid are still looking to sign a midfielder to take charge of the team, but the deal could now be at a standstill and resume once the Club World Cup begins.