Real Madrid recently announced that Spain coach Julen Lopetegui would take over the reins of the club after the conclusion of the 2018 World Cup.
It came as a surprise to many when Zinedine Zidane announced that he was stepping down just days after winning yet another Champions League title. With a number of managers, including Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino, tipped to replace the outgoing Frenchman, it is Lopetegui who has won the race to the Madrid hotseat.
The former Porto manager will have to address a few key issues at the club and make the right signings to get Madrid back on track in La Liga and in a position to battle it out against Barcelona once again after a disappointing third-place finish this past season.
Here are 3 players Lopetegui must look to sign in the summer:
#3 Neymar
After the Champions League final, Gareth Bale announced that he might indeed leave Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo too dropped a bombshell when he stated his future might be elsewhere. That in itself should be enough reason for Florentino Perez and Lopetegui to go all out in pursuit of their replacements and there is no one better suited to step into those shoes than Neymar.
The Brazilian missed a major part of the season through injury but has recovered in time for his nation's World Cup campaign and is expected to play a major role in the competition. Neymar is widely tipped to leave PSG this summer after a successful stint in France and has even expressed his desire to join Los Blancos. He has reportedly been a Real Madrid fan ever since his childhood, stating that it is a dream for him to don the white of the Spanish giants.
According to reports, Real Madrid are willing to shell out as much as £307 million for the Brazilian superstar, easily eclipsing the amount PSG paid for him. With Neymar in their ranks, Madrid will be simply unstoppable and could end up with an unprecedented treble.
#2 Timo Werner
Over the past couple of seasons, Timo Werner has attracted suitors from all over the world with spellbinding displays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. Werner scored 21 goals in the 2016/17 campaign and followed that up with 13 this time around.
To put it bluntly, his presence will help Real Madrid challenge on all fronts, something they failed to do this past season. Karim Benzema is simply not good enough for a club of Madrid's stature and he needs to be moved on. Werner is a top-class finisher and with service from the likes of Modric and Kroos, he could easily hit the 30-goal mark at Madrid.
At 22, he is yet to hit his peak and that should be enough reason for Lopetegui to move for him as soon as the World Cup is done and dusted.
#1 David de Gea
The Spaniard is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in world football at the moment. De Gea came close to joining Real Madrid way back in 2014 but the infamous fax machine incident put a spanner in the works.
One of Real Madrid's weakest links is the goalkeeping position with Keylor Navas still quite inconsistent and prone to more than just the occasional error.
De Gea, on the other hand, won the Golden Glove in the Premier League this season after yet another sensational campaign, amassing a whopping 18 clean sheets and single-handedly securing points for United on numerous occasions. The Spaniard, according to many, has even surpassed the likes of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon to become the best shot-stopper on the planet at the moment.
Manchester United will not be willing to let go of their star man for anything under £100 million but that should be chump change for a club with Real Madrid's financial muscle.
Which players do you feel new manager Lopetegui should sign in his first season? Let us know in the comments section.