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Toni Kroos is a class act. He remains unfazed by the pressures of being watched by the media, pundits and the fans looking for one mistake to tear into him. He rarely has a bad game and is able to calmly move the ball around the middle of the park at all times. Sometimes, he looks like a player cut from the same cloth as Andrea Pirlo - an ocean of calmness with ice in his veins. No occasion seems too big for the German. Be it the Champions League final, World Cup final or just another league match against minnows like Huesca, his performance never drops.
Capable of playing anywhere in the middle of the park, he has now won a staggering 24 trophies throughout his career with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Almost undroppable under Zinedine Zidane, he is also a set-piece specialist and has a thunderous right foot that is capable of leaving even the best of the best stranded in goal.
Also See : La Liga Transfer News, Womens World Cu
He has won 3 Champions Leagues, one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey at Real Madrid. At 29, it may seem the right time for him as well to move to a different team and look for a new challenge. No matter what happens in the future, he will without a shadow of doubt go down as a part of one of the greatest midfield trios of all time beside Luka Modric and Casemiro.
That being said, the rumour mill has been churning out reports of him keen to move on, with Manchester United looking like the frontrunners to get the German's signature. Although Real Madrid will do all they can to keep their man with Modric not getting any younger, a move away seems closer than ever.
Here's looking at who could fill the massive void which would be created once Kroos decides to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.
#3 Adrien Rabiot
Rabiot is surely feeling the heat at PSG at the moment after being frozen out of the squad since early December after disagreements with the club over a new contract. Rabiot had been stalling on his contract since a while and let it run down to within a year of expiration. There were talks of him agreeing to a move to Barcelona on a free in the recent winter transfer window, but that seems to be off the table as the Blaugrana side went ahead and signed Frenkie de Jong instead.
Although Rabiot has had his fair share of disputes with management both at club level as well as in the national setup, there is no denying the abundance of talent that the Frenchman possesses. Although he has made only 12 appearances in the league this season, he has averaged over 3 tackles and interceptions per game, completed over 3 long balls per game and has a passing accuracy of over 93%.
Rabiot is great at picking the ball close to the defence and moving it forward to the more creative players in the side. He is tenacious and hard working. He is silky on the ball and is almost press resistant. He rarely loses the ball and is great at picking out teammates with pinpoint long diagonal balls.
At just under 25, he will surely be a long term investment and he would come as a free transfer as well, making him an interesting prospect for Los Blancos.
2) Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne was arguably the best player in the Premier League last season and should have rightfully won the Player of the Year award for his exploits in the league. Leading his side's charge to the league as Manchester City amassed an unprecedented century of points in the Premier League. Although he has had a tough season ravaged by injuries, there is no denying he could walk into any team in the world. That being said, Real Madrid would solve their midfield issues for at least the next 5 years if they manage to lure him out of Manchester City.
The goal there against Leicester was his come back match after a long injury lay-off, showing that even if he isn't completely match-fit, he can pull off moments of magic like these and win matches all by himself. Comfortable at shooting with both his left foot and his right, he is always a danger in and around the box.
11 goals and 15 assists show just how good he can be on his day. City had faced quite a few injuries last season that saw him play a number of roles in midfield. He could drop deep when the opposition presses high, beat his man and start attacks or stay forward and wait for the ball to come to him and be a more direct goal threat. It was magical to watch him dovetail with veteran David Silva. There is no denying a midfield of KDB, Modric and Casemiro could rival any team's midfield.
1) Paul Pogba
Pogba, Zidane and Real Madrid is a recipe for greatness. Ever since his days at Juventus, he was destined to go down as one of the greats of his generation. Although his performances dropped under Jose Mourinho, he's now back to showing why he's one of the best. All he needed was an arm around his shoulder and the license to do what he does best, and who better to do that than Zidane himself.
Since the change in regime at Manchester United, he has almost gone supernova. 20 goal contribution this season shows that if he's really motivated to show what he's got, there's no stopping him. He can dribble, shoot, pass and assist, a midfield dynamo bossing the midfield. He's been so good with Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic behind him, so just imagine how good he'd be with Casemiro and Modric.
Moments like these show just how good he is. Currently, he's just too good for Manchester United and it's time for him to seek a fresh challenge. United are currently competing for a place in the top four, while Madrid will be back to competing for the Champions League and La Liga in no time. With him reaching his prime, he better move before it's too late.
Zidane signing a long-term deal means it's going to be a huge summer for Real Madrid and the Frenchman could look to lure his compatriot with a move to the Bernabeu.
