Real Madrid has taken an important step in the Club World Cup by beating Borussia Dortmund and reaching the semifinals of the tournament, where PSG awaits in what will be an early final. The team is focused on the FIFA tournament, while the front office is waiting for the end of their stay in the United States to start making decisions in a market where, initially, the team has closed its wallet, hoping to make only one move, but departures are not ruled out.
The team’s good performance has put the brakes on many of the plans the team may have had for the transfer market after the World Cup. The good work of players such as Arda Güler and Gonzalo has slowed down the need to go to the market to sign a striker or a midfielder. On the other hand, although their contracts are expiring, the departures of Luka Modric and Lucas Vázquez are expected once the tournament is over, and the idea of signing a left-back remains. In addition, there are a couple of departures that could happen.
Farewell to Luka Modric and Lucas Vázquez
The end of the Club World Cup will bring with it the first of the departures, namely Luka Modric and Lucas Vázquez, who are treating every game for the Whites as if it were their last. Both players’ contracts expire after the tournament and there is no renewal in sight. In the case of the Croatian, there was more doubt surrounding the decision as he wanted to renew for a year to reach the World Cup, but in the end, the decision was no, and he looks set to leave for Milan.
The future of the right-back was clearer given his poor performance when he had to step up in the absence of the injured Dani Carvajal. He is a club legend and a very important player in the dressing room, but the arrival of Trent further conditioned his future, which is still to be decided. There has been interest from Saudi Arabia and also from LaLiga teams.
The signing of Álvaro Carreras
In terms of signings, Florentino has closed the transfer window beyond the signing of left-back Álvaro Carreras, who was left out of the squad for the Club World Cup. During the season, the Whites detected a problem on the left side of the defense, where Mendy is always out due to injury, while Fran García did not have Carlo Ancelotti’s confidence. The club made moves, but no agreement was reached with Benfica, who stood firm on the €50 million release clause, aware that they held all the cards given the proximity of the World Cup. Negotiations will resume after the tournament, as an agreement with the player has been reached.
Possible departures
It cannot be ruled out that there may be departures from the Whites. Rodrygo is a likely candidate, as something seems to have broken down between the club and the player. His performance leaves much to be desired and there are clubs in the Premier League, mainly Arsenal, willing to put a figure above $80 million on the table for the Brazilian to leave the Whites, who will not force him to leave, but will not close the door on him either.
Given Gonzalo’s rise in the Club World Cup, Endrick’s future is also in question. If the youth player, as everything indicates, stays in the first team, the Brazilian’s limited minutes will be further reduced, so the best thing for him would be a loan move in search of playing time that would allow him to continue growing.