Real Madrid\u2019s central midfield has been a recurring problem for two seasons. The club has not found a reliable replacement able to replicate the control once provided by Toni Kroos and Luka Modri\u0107, and the squad lacks a clear deep-lying organiser.<\/p>\n
Vitinha remains the dream signing. Identified earlier this year as a dream signing for Real Madrid, Vitinha is just about the best in the world in his position and would be an ideal candidate to finally replace Toni Kroos and Luka Modri\u0107. However, the 26-year-old Portugal international also has a contract at back-to-back Champions League finalists PSG until 2029 and is unlikely to push for a move from the world\u2019s best team. This one remains a pipe dream. Likelihood: 1\/10<\/p>\n
Nicol\u00f2 Barella is a proven operator but may have missed the window. Long considered one of the better midfielders around, Barella turns 30 next year and is under contract at Inter Milan until 2029, making him a costly option for his age despite his obvious qualities. Only two players have more assists in Serie A this season than Barella\u2019s eight. Likelihood: 3\/10<\/p>\n
Adam Wharton emerged strongly after his move from Blackburn Rovers to Crystal Palace in 2023\u201324. He earned a place in England\u2019s Euro 2024 roster, played a major role in Palace\u2019s FA Cup success last season and has been critical to their Conference League final run this term. A technically gifted deep lying midfielder with good ball progression stats, Wharton bears obvious similarities to Kroos and Modri\u0107. He is untested at the highest level and would be typically expensive; the pressure of the price tag and comparisons to predecessors might make this an unwise move. Likelihood: 4\/10<\/p>\n
Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez looks more attainable as Chelsea face instability. The World Cup-winning midfielder has faced an internal suspension after deigning to comment on Madrid, while there is talk Chelsea might be open to a summer sale. Fern\u00e1ndez, who was signed for a then-British transfer record fee in 2023, would not come cheap. Likelihood: 4.5\/10<\/p>\n
The 2024 Ballon d\u2019Or winner is widely viewed as an ideal signing: a proven winner who can control midfield with grit and guile, and a model of professionalism. There is hope at the Bernab\u00e9u that Rodri will look to move from Manchester City this summer, a year ahead of his contract expiry in 2027. Reports suggest he could still sign an extension, he turns 30 in June, and there are question marks after last season\u2019s ACL injury. Likelihood: 5\/10<\/p>\n
Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City this summer as a free agent after nine seasons, six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one treble. The 31-year-old offers versatility, tenacity and technical quality, and is unlikely to demand a weekly starting berth. Reports say Jorge Mendes has offered his client\u2019s services to both Madrid and Barcelona already. Likelihood: 6\/10<\/p>\n
Finally, Tijjani Smit is one of Europe\u2019s top young prospects. Touted as one of the best young players in European soccer, Smit made his senior Netherlands debut in March after dominating the Under-19 European Championships as top scorer and Player of the Tournament last summer. Typically used in a deep-lying role for AZ Alkmaar and likened in style to Bar\u00e7a\u2019s Pedri, former Madrid star Rafael van der Vaart has previously said that Smit \u201cwill undoubtedly end up at Real Madrid or one of the biggest clubs in the world.\u201d Some reports say he could move for as little as \u20ac40 million ($47 million); one hitch could be that he is a reported boyhood Barcelona fan. Likelihood: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Real Madrid assess midfield targets this summer, from established stars to emerging talents. Reports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[987,1397],"tags":[1073,216,988],"class_list":["post-13966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-madrid","category-transfer-news","tag-acl-injury","tag-adam-wharton","tag-bernardo-silva"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}