Real Madrid Transfer Specials - Jovic signs but who else is heading to the Bernabeu?

In a summer when the majority of Europe’s elite clubs are expected to splash the cash, Real Madrid have been the first to make significant dives into the transfer market. Indeed 3 of the 5 biggest completed deals so far this summer have involved players joining Real Madrid.

One of those deals was agreed twelve months ago but Real Madrid will finally complete the signing of Brazilian teenager Rodrygo from Santos this month. They’ve also confirmed deals that will see Porto centre-back Éder Militão and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Luke Jovic move to the Bernabeu this summer. All three players are aged 21 or under which says plenty about their long-term regeneration project but their transfer activity is highly unlikely to end there despite an outlay of close to £140 million already.

There are plenty of other players being linked with a move to the club:

Keep tabs on FST’s Daily Summer Transfer News & Updates here.

Hazard & Mendy Signings expected Soon

There was speculation that Real Madrid could announce as many as three major signings this week. They got the ball rolling with the signing of Jovic on Tuesday on a six-year deal.

The transfer everyone is waiting for though is that of Eden Hazard who confirmed he was expecting to leave Chelsea in the aftermath of the Europa League Final. Talks between Chelsea and Real Madrid reportedly collapsed on Wednesday with Chelsea refusing to budge on their £100 million plus valuation. That may push the time-frame back slightly but Real Madrid are still as short as 1/14 with Betfair to sign Hazard and a compromise is likely to be reached.

The other signing Real Madrid are expected to announce imminently is that of Lyon left-back Ferland Mendy. His arrival will provide some much needed competition for Marcelo who had a very poor campaign. Again at around £45 million, he won’t come cheap but Real Madrid are clearly expecting to shift a host of players with returning loanees such as James Rodriguez and Mateo Kovacic among those who they may be looking to cash in on. The deal for Mendy is seemingly at an advanced stage with reports he has already undergone a medical with a Real Madrid doctor but Lyon are denying any agreement is in place yet.

Eriksen on Real Madrid’s radar

While not their top target, Christian Eriksen was always likely to be on Real Madrid’s radar this summer. The Dane has today claimed he ‘might want to try something new’ which will certainly not have gone unnoticed at the Bernabeu. As a result of those comments, Eriksen has come in to 5/6 to join Real Madrid this summer with Betfair.

Those odds look a little short for now as Real Madrid haven’t done anything to suggest confirmed interest in the player. They also currently seem preoccupied with trying to finalise deals for other men which may push their spending towards around £300 million. Even for a club of their size, balancing the books will be a consideration and if nobody departs they will have an enormous squad at the start of next term which would most likely pose more questions than answers for Zinedine Zidane. Therefore we may have to wait for players to leave before Real go in for another midfielder.

Los Blancos have already extended Toni Kroos’ contract this summer, which on the surface makes the signing of Eriksen seem less likely. However Zinedine Zidane may still view the Dane as a decent long-term replacement for Luka Modric who has a year to run on his current deal. This is certainly a story to keep an eye on over the next month or two but it could certainly come to fruition, particularly if Spurs complete a deal for Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso who they are favourites to sign.

Real Madrid Favourites to sign Kylian Mbappe

One signing that would eclipse that of even Hazard or Eriksen would be Kylian Mbappe. He dropped a PSG exit hint a couple of weeks back and Los Blancos were quickly installed as favourites to sign him. He is still available at 2/1 to move to the Bernabeu this summer but unlike last year when Real were keen on snatching either Mbappe or Neymar from PSG, they seem to be prioritising a deal for Hazard this time around.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t consider going in for Mbappe too should the chance arise and it’s the sort of true galactico signing that they are known for but perhaps haven’t completed enough of in recent years at least. Following such an abject campaign, it would certainly be a real statement of intent but convincing PSG to sell would be very difficult, particularly now they appear to be have avoided any Financial Fair Play penalty.

If Hazard joins, then Real Madrid will have already added three attacking players this summer. They already have the likes of Vinicius, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio to fit in too so it’s difficult to see space in their squad for another attacking player, even if they can find a buyer for Gareth Bale.

While we may one day see Mbappe in Real Madrid colours, it’s hard to see it happening this summer unless they fail to reach an agreement for Hazard and decide to turn their attention elsewhere.

Could Real move for Pablo Sarabia?

If Real’s spending spree gets to a point where they are nearing the limit of their budget, then a deal to bring Pablo Sarabia back to the club could make sense. The 27 year old came through the ranks at the Bernabeu but ultimately had to leave to find first team football.

His development since has been very impressive and a combined total of 30 goals and assists in all competitions last season for Sevilla was outstanding. Only Leo Messi could better his return in La Liga and with a release clause that stands at just under £16 million, he represents great value in an inflated market.

Sarabia has proven himself to be adept at playing out wide or in a central role which would make him a very useful utility man for Zinedine Zidane next term and at 6/1 to join Real Madrid, backing Sarabia to return to the Bernabeu could be worth a flutter.