As is usually the case for Real Madrid, the January transfer window this season was a quiet one for the LaLiga giants.
Young striker Endrick joined Lyon on loan for the rest of the season, but the biggest moves in and out of the Bernabéu last month involved coaches, with Xabi Alonso being fired and Álvaro Arbeloa being promoted from the club’s B team to replace him.
But despite that lack of midseason transfer activity, there are plenty of issues with the playing squad for Madrid to address in the summer. There are questions about how to strengthen the team in defence and midfield, what to do with some of their biggest attacking stars such as Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, and even whether another new coach should be appointed.
ESPN Madrid correspondents Alex Kirkland and Rodra answer the key transfer questions that Los Blancos must face when the window reopens in the summer.
– What are Vini Jr.’s options as his Real Madrid contract runs down?
– Madrid fitness guru loves pushing players to limit. Can he save their season?
– Transfer window winners and losers: How Man City, Liverpool, others fared
What should Madrid do this summer to address the futures of two of their biggest stars: Vinícius and Bellingham?
Kirkland: I’m still not entirely convinced that a side with Kylian Mbappé, Vini Jr. and Bellingham in it can function consistently well, especially against elite opposition. It goes without saying that all three are top players. But in the season-and-a-half that the trio have been together at Madrid, how often have we seen the team play really well? It’s happened in flashes — in some Champions League games last season, for example, or last October’s Clásico. But in the majority of games over the last 18 months the side has looked disjointed, as if the coach — whether it’s Carlo Ancelotti, Alonso or Arbeloa — is trying to awkwardly squeeze his stars into a working XI. Or, in Alonso’s case, sometimes leaving Vinícius out.
Mbappé isn’t going anywhere, obviously. So I would be tempted, for a hopefully astronomically high fee, to let one of Vini Jr. or Bellingham go, with my preference being a departure for Vinícius. The Brazil international has been a really important player for Madrid, key to two Champions League wins, but given he has less than 18 months left on his contract, maybe it’s best for everybody to move on. While sources have told ESPN that Vinícius’ former club Flamengo have set bringing him back to the club as a long-term goal — with the club’s director of football even joking recently about a free transfer — the only realistic landing spots for him are the Saudi Pro League, the Premier League or Paris Saint-Germain.
Rodra: Madrid should commit to both Vinícius and Bellingham, despite their poor performances this season. With the Brazilian, they should reach an agreement on a renewal in the summer, with fair terms for both parties. They shouldn’t go as far as the player’s excessive demands, but they should show him his importance to the Real Madrid project. That’s the only way they can recover the best version of the No. 7, still a very valuable asset for the club. With Bellingham, they should reassure him and express their confidence, after a period of poor results. But with both Vini Jr. and Jude, Madrid should make it very clear that there are no untouchables in this team, and that only sporting performance will determine each player’s status.
Will Madrid stick with Arbeloa or hire another coach? Jürgen Klopp, perhaps? Someone else?
Rodra: It all depends on results this season. If Madrid fail to win any trophies, club sources have told ESPN it’s likely Arbeloa will not continue as coach. As for potential replacements, no candidate has garnered consensus among the Madrid board. Zinedine Zidane is club president Florentino Pérez’s favourite, but he hopes to replace Didier Deschamps as France manager after the World Cup.
Klopp is always mentioned as a possibility, but the German hasn’t given any indication of a move to Madrid anytime soon. Another failure at the end of the season could prompt a change of approach, with a manager like Klopp at the helm.
Kirkland: I’d be amazed if Arbeloa was still coach next season. Of course, at Madrid, anything is possible, and winning LaLiga or the Champions League would change everything. But so far we’ve seen no indication that that’s a likely outcome, given the way the team has been playing. Quite the opposite. I think the most likely scenario is that Madrid finish second in LaLiga behind Barcelona, and are eliminated from the Champions League by the first really good team they face. If that happens, then Arbeloa is likely to step aside. It’s nothing against him — he may well develop into a good coach — but he’s been drafted into a difficult situation, ahead of schedule, and has already, understandably, made mistakes along the way.
As for a successor, Klopp would be fascinating, but would demand a degree of control that would be near unprecedented at Real Madrid. Other contenders who’ve been mooted, like Unai Emery, seem even more unlikely. There’s no clear candidate right now, and in recent years, when new Madrid coaches haven’t been promoted from within, they’ve been unexpected names anyway, like Rafa Benítez. Might Ancelotti fancy coming back for a third stint after taking Brazil to the World Cup? Given what’s happened since: come back Carlo, we didn’t know what we had until you were gone.
Is Konaté still a target, or should they go for another center back to strengthen their defence?
Rodra: Madrid have identified signing a new center back as one of their objectives in the summer. They are closely monitoring players whose contracts are expiring, and Liverpool‘s Ibrahima Konaté is one of them. His financial demands previously ruled Madrid out of the running, but if Konaté lowers those, he could become an option again.
Other names, such as Madrid youth product Jacobo Ramón, are also being monitored. David Alaba will leave the club, and there are doubts about Antonio Rüdiger‘s future, so there will be movement in the central defender market. Castello Lukeba and Nico Schlotterbeck are other players being closely watched by the scouting team, led by Juni Calafat.
Kirkland: A new center back is a must. As Rodra says, Alaba is leaving, Rüdiger can’t be relied upon, Dean Huijsen is promising but is having a difficult debut season, and Raúl Asencio has looked accident-prone. Madrid need to sign a defender who can be the bedrock of the defence for the next decade, and if they can do so on a free transfer, as they did with Alaba and Rüdiger, even better.
2:39
Laurens: There was a complete lack of effort from Real Madrid
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens analyse Real Madrid’s performance in their 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and discuss what needs to change within the squad.
Madrid have the option to re-sign Nico Paz from Como. Should they exercise it this summer, wait another year, or let him go?
Kirkland: Absolutely, they should. Nico Paz is just the kind of smart, creative midfield presence the team has been missing this season. Is there an obvious place for him in the XI, with Bellingham in the side? Not really. But there’s no player with his profile in the squad right now. He’s served his apprenticeship at Como, becoming Serie A‘s best young player; now it’s time to come home. In the worst-case scenario, it doesn’t work out, he doesn’t play enough, and there’d still be a big market for him for a departure in 2027.
Rodra: Paz’s future will be decided in the summer. Madrid plan to execute their re-sign clause, followed by one of two options: either he stays, or Madrid move him on at a significant profit. Madrid want him, but the final decision will be up to the player, who is also considering the playing time he would get at the Bernabéu in such a crowded attack. The option of him staying for another year at Como is not being considered at this point.
Madrid have still not successfully replaced Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Who could they sign this summer to fill the void?
Rodra: Another of Madrid’s objectives this summer is to sign a creative midfielder. Vitinha is the one they like the most, but both the player’s entourage and PSG give him minimal chances of leaving. Fabián Ruiz, also at PSG, is another player who has been discussed by the Madrid hierarchy. The club are also scouring the market for younger midfielders, and Kees Smit of AZ Alkmaar has emerged as a strong contender. Los Blancos are determined to sign this kind of player in the summer.
Kirkland: This should be Madrid’s top priority in the summer window. None of the players who were supposed to replace Kroos and Modric — especially Eduardo Camavinga — have stepped up. Arda Güler has been given plenty of opportunities this season, and has done well, but isn’t quite there, either. Vitinha would be the dream signing, but Madrid know exactly how difficult it can be to successfully extract a player from PSG. Just ask Mbappé. But that’s the calibre of player they need to be looking at. Attempts to develop a new Kroos or Modric have failed; it’s time to bring in a ready-made replacement.
1:56
How serious is Jude Bellingham’s injury?
The “ESPN FC” crew break down Jude Bellingham’s injury from Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and discuss how Real Madrid will manage without the English star.
What should they do with Endrick: bring him back to Madrid, loan him out again or transfer him out?
Kirkland: You only have to look at Endrick’s electric form for Lyon so far to see that he could have played a more important role for Madrid this season. Sure, you’ve got Mbappé at centre-forward, but you can’t convince me that Endrick couldn’t have contributed as much, or more, than Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono have on the right wing. Endrick needed minutes. He didn’t get them under Alonso. Now he’s getting them at Lyon, and he’s excelling. Bring him back, and even if he isn’t a fixture in the starting XI, he can be Madrid’s 12th man and first port of call when a game needs opening up.
Rodra: Madrid see Endrick as one of the biggest prospects in world football, and they want him back at Valdebebas in the summer. The idea is for his loan at Lyon to only last until June, although the French club will try to extend it. Endrick wanted minutes to secure his place in Brazil’s World Cup squad, and then to return to Madrid. But if he isn’t guaranteed a starting position, he might reconsider his immediate future. Rodrygo’s situation will also be key. I think Madrid should put their faith in Endrick, and give him a role in the team. He has the qualities to be a great Real Madrid player, and deserves a chance.
Who should the club clear out of the squad this summer?
Kirkland: There are a number of players whose time at Madrid should end this summer; some veterans whose time has come, and some younger players who haven’t quite delivered. In defence, Alaba, Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy should go. Let’s see what Dani Carvajal‘s level is like when fully fit, but having worked so hard to sign him, Trent Alexander-Arnold should be the first-choice right-back, and Federico Valverde is an exceptional, if unwilling, deputy. Otherwise, I’d move on Dabi Ceballos, and I’d accept a decent offer for Rodrygo, too.
Rodra: Madrid need departures to make space in the squad. As well as Alaba, Rüdiger, Carvajal and Ceballos, Fran García and Brahim Díaz could be used to generate funds. And could one of Camavinga or Aurélien Tchouaméni be allowed to leave, for the right transfer fee? I think a revolution is needed in the squad.
Madrid are already preparing for some departures. One of them is Alaba, whose contract expires in June. Carvajal, Mendy and Rüdiger could also leave. The club believe Carvajal and Rüdiger have earned the right to decide whether or not to stay. At Valdebebas there’s uncertainty about what will happen with them. As for Mendy, club executives would be delighted with a transfer, but given his fitness problems, no offers have arrived.
