Real Madrid have had a poor transfer window this time around. Zinedine Zidane has only brought in one player this window by re-signing Alvaro Morata from Juventus and has failed to get plenty of his other targets – including world-record signing Paul Pogba.
Zidane is looking to sign midfielders and wingers this season to sustain a challenge in the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos remain the only experienced midfielders in the team with Zidane – and President Florentino Perez – actively looking to find more players in case one of them get injured.
Their pursuit of Paul Pogba and Andre Gomes – who has since joined rivals Barcelona - failed and left the team exposed in the middle of the park. Here are five players the club could sign this deadline day.
Bernardo Silva
The 22-year-old has been linked with a host of European giants this summer but is likely to choose only a 'big' one like Real Madrid. Silva is a tricky winger and could find a place in the squad with the departure of either Isco or James Rodriguez.
He's quick, has excellent dribbling skills and will press a team till they make a mistake. We've all seen how Tottenham, Leicester City and Liverpool benefited from using similar tactics – maybe Real Madrid could use a player with these qualities, too.
Silva is young, explosive, and is Portuguese – which is something Cristiano Ronaldo would love – and could fit right in at Real Madrid knowing the language and has the experience of playing with Europe. This could be a steal for Los Blancos given he's valued at around €16 million.
Moussa Sissoko
The unlikeliest one to happen here. Sissoko wants to leave Newcastle today, he sees no future with the club but finding a right suitor has been tougher than usual for the Frenchman. There have been links with Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and more but the 27-year-old is apparently holding on to one of Europe's 'bigger' clubs – either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Sissoko is a tough-tackling no-nonsense midfielder who could definitely improve Zidane's team but his inconsistency is a worry for many teams and feel that the fee that Newcastle are asking – which is a whopping £35 million – is too much for them to see the worth in him.
The Frenchman can compliment Kroos and Modric well allowing them to go forward but knowing how Sissoko has played in the past – his ability to drift away into the final third leaving no one to guard the back-four – turns off a lot of options, including Zidane's.
Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas is a bit of a lost soul these past couple of years. After he left Barcelona, he found solace in Chelsea but like he did at his home club, Fabregas hasn't been able to keep up to expectations. Maybe because he isn't enjoying it anymore or maybe because there isn't an Arsene Wenger around.
Either way, Fabregas needs to find a new club to ensure he plays at the top level in a sustained period. Real Madrid could offer him just that. Fabregas' favourite role is just behind a front-three capable of making direct and lethal runs into the box and with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, what more could he ask for.
If Fabregas does leave Chelsea today, its likely to be on a loan considering it's too short a time to trash out a permanent deal. Chelsea could use his wages off their books as they look to sign at least one central defender by the end of the window.
Julian Draxler
Julian Draxler is desperate to leave Wolfsburg this season and is looking for a club to pay his ridiculously high release clause. €75 million is the amount Wolfsburg are looking for and so far only Paris Saint-Germain have shown an interest to try and activate the clause.
Draxler is a long-time target for Premier League club Arsenal but Real Madrid could really use the German's gameplay in their game. He's quick, extremely good at finding space and his passing is beyond magnificent – something that would resonate well with Luka Modric.
Madrid have wingers already but if James Rodriguez or Isco do leave this window, Draxler can fit in perfectly behind the front three to cause havoc to most La Liga and European teams.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The Gabon international has been a fan of Real Madrid for a long time and has spoken before about joining the club. Earlier this window, he was linked with the club but it died down after Real Madrid reportedly turned down the chance to sign a striker.
Last night, however, reports started to emerge again that the 27-year-old was pushing for a move to join the Madrid giants. Borussia Dortmund are not keen to let the striker leave this window and will find it hard to sign a striker in the short amount of time.
Real Madrid already have Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata as their strikers but would love for the chance to sign Aubameyang given how much he brings to their game. His pace, his finishing and ability to create a chance out of thin air would benefit any team in the world – including Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid.
