Real Madrid are preparing themselves for a huge overhaul in the summer of 2017 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport partially uplifted their ban, according to reports in Spain.
The Spanish giants were banned from signing players in either of the two transfer windows next year but an appeal has now ensured that they can make signings in the summer transfer window. The Los Blancos‘ fine of £275,000 has also been reduced to £189,000.
Real are reportedly delighted with the news and are planning to strengthen their squad using their huge transfer kitty of £200m over the course of the summer. The club is reportedly chasing Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a potential replacement for Karim Benzema according to reports.
Aubameyang’s mother had spoken earlier about his desire to switch to the Santiago Bernabeu and the striker also added that he will consider the situation in the future. “Yes (I still want to play for Real), it’s a promise I made to my grandfather,” he told beIN sports.
“Right now I feel very good at Dortmund but in the future, we’ll see. Real has a close connection with my family," he said. “The media is doing too much [speculation]. It's a childhood dream. But, as I always said, I play at Dortmund and I'm glad to be there and it's really good for me.”
The 27-year-old has been in scintillating form this season and has scored 20 goals in all competitions so far. Real are expected to launch a bid for the striker but will have to spend over £80M to try and bring the player to the Spanish capital.
Real are also expected to re-ignite their interest in PSG midfielder Marco Verratti. The Italian has been constantly linked with the Spanish giants and has reportedly been in constant touch with the club since last year.
According to RMC journalist Frederic Hermel, the Italian midfielder is desperate for a move to the Los Blancos. "His dream is to move to Real Madrid… I can tell you this, this information isn’t second-hand…. [Verratti wanted the move] even after Ancelotti left," he stated.
Real’s interest in Verratti is obvious and it could be difficult for PSG to hold on to their star man if they cannot guarantee progression to the latter stages of the major European competitions. Verratti would be an excellent purchase for the Spanish club considering the fact that James Rodriguez has already made up his mind to seek greener pastures at the next possible opportunity.
Los Blancos are also reportedly planning to hijack arch-rivals Barcelona’s attempts to sign Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin. The player was picked up by the London outfit from Barcelona's academy and had earlier revealed that he snubbed Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea before joining the London club.
However, the Spaniard recently revealed that he is happy at Arsenal and is only concentrating on his role at the club.
“I don’t really get informed about offers,” said Bellerin. “My agent is the one that works on these sort of things, but I’m happy to receive interest from such great clubs. As a player, it's really nice. Right now I’m very happy where I am, at Arsenal and focusing on the national team. With these things, you don’t know what to do until they arrive.”
Real will no doubt be delighted by the fact that the ban has been overturned. There is no question that the issue has proven a costly affair especially because a number of the club's star names, including Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo, have all used the situation as a tool to leverage better contracts for themselves during recent negotiations.
