As they say on the subway, you have to let some out before you let some in. Xabi Alonso has asked Real Madrid for new signings, but the club is clear that it needs to lighten its load first. With the recent additions, the club now has 25 players in the first team, so it needs to open the door and let some go if it wants to bring in at least two new signings requested by the coach: a center back and a midfielder. The problem is that the exit door is open… but there is no one on the other side with a concrete offer.
Xabi Alonso has asked for signings
Xabi Alonso wants to create a competitive project that will return Real Madrid to the fight for titles. To do this, it is important to have the best squad, and during the Club World Cup, the coach saw weaknesses in his ranks, as well as a certain lack of commitment on the part of several players, which has led the coach to make requests to the club. Specifically, the priorities would be a creative midfielder, a center back, and there has also been talk of the option of a winger.
The main priority is a midfielder. Although Xabi Alonso has placed all his trust in Arda Güler to be the new Modric, the Turkish player still has things to work on and improve. The club is fully committed to him and is confident that he will improve as the season progresses, but it would be more reassuring to already have that specific profile in midfield. A player who is both an architect and someone who can support the team in pressing and defending.
The exit door is open for these players
In order for new players to arrive, the squad needs to be lightened up a bit by letting go of players who are not in Xabi Alonso’s plans. In defense, the left-back issue needs to be resolved. The arrival of Álvaro Carreras opens the door to getting rid of one of the two players in that position. Fran García has suitors, especially after his great World Cup, but it is precisely that World Cup and the fact that Mendy is perpetually injured that raise the possibility that it will be the Frenchman who leaves.
In defense, there has been talk for months of getting rid of Alaba, who can’t seem to get out of one injury and into another, and who also has a very high salary. The player is clinging to his contract. Another player who has hardly featured is Ceballos, who did not play against PSG. It is true that Xabi Alonso has been favoring Modric, who will no longer be at the club after the World Cup, but the Utrera-born player wants playing time and it is not clear that he will get it at Real Madrid. Rodrygo is also unlikely to get much playing time and is increasingly looking towards the Premier League after a forgettable year.
No offers on the table
These are just some of the names that could leave Real Madrid, although they are not the only ones. The truth is that, despite the many rumors surrounding Rodrygo, Ceballos’ interest in leaving for Real Betis, Milan’s eye on Fran García or Brahim, the Premier League on the prowl for Gonzalo García… and a long list of other rumors, there are no firm offers on the table for Real Madrid, according to MARCA. There are no offers and, furthermore, the Whites are clear that they need to sell players to give Xabi Alonso the team he wants, but they are not going to give players away. They need to cash in, and their demands are not exactly low.