15-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid are pondering their options as they make plans to address their shortage of manpower in the middle of the park come this summer’s transfer window.
Over the course of the past two seasons, Real Madrid lost two of their most important midfield generals, with Toni Kroos calling time on his career back in 2024 and Luka Modric departing for AC Milan as a free agent at the end of last season.
Despite losing such quality players in successive seasons and four different transfer windows passing since Kroos’ departure, Los Blancos have yet to make any additions to their midfield ranks.
This season, their struggles in that area of the pitch have been quite evident, with Real Madrid labouring through most games and Xabi Alonso, who only came on board in the summer of 2025, eventually taking the fall last month.
While Alonso’s replacement, Alvaro Arbeloa, has previously downplayed the urgency of midfield reinforcements, reports claim that it is a matter of utmost priority for the Real Madrid hierarchy come the 2026 summer.
The ideal targets are Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, but both are effectively out of reach financially.
According to The Athletic, Real Madrid lack the resources to meet the huge fees required, with Vitinha contracted until 2029 and Fernandez tied down until 2032, leaving PSG and Chelsea firmly in control.
A much more feasible target is Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, who the Spanish giants have always kept tabs on. The Argentine will enter the final two years of his deal this summer, but Los Blancos will have to convince Liverpool to consider a sale.
