5 Bundesliga stars who could be valuable additions to Real Madrid

Real Madrid have not started the new season as expected. The Spanish giants currently sit in the 3rd spot, 8 points behind their arch-rivals Barcelona and with expectations rising with every season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Zinedine Zidane already has a battle on his hands this early in the season.

While their next 2 months are going to be pivotal to their current season, the upcoming transfer windows could define the long-term future of the club.

Given Real Madrid’s financial resources, no player is out of their bounds and in this segment, we take a look at 5 Bundesliga players who could prove to be great additions to the Real Madrid side.

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#5 Joshua Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich has done very well since breaking into the Bayern Munich starting line-up.

The recent injury to Dani Carvajal has pushed Real Madrid into a crisis of sorts. The Spanish right-back, who has been one of the most consistent players in a Real Madrid shirt, is currently recovering from a scare and is expected to remain sidelined for at least 2 months and that has forced the club’s faithful into questioning the availability of adequate resources for the position.

So, who better to look at than the current Bayern Munich regular and up and coming right-back Joshua Kimmich? The 22-year-old has a balanced game that allows him to bring defensive solidarity to the side that he plies while also functioning effectively as an attacking outlet on the right flank.

He is unafraid to fly into tackles, makes regular blocks, as well as interceptions and his industriousness down the right flank have made him a fan-favourite at the Allianz Arena.

Add to that his attacking contributions and you could understand why Kimmich is fast establishing himself as the best in the business. In the 11 games that he has been a part of the season thus far, Kimmich has been Bayern’s creator-in-chief, creating an opportunity every 55 minutes and is currently placed 3rd in the Bundesliga charts behind only Levin Oztunali (Mainz 05) and Philipp Max (Augsburg).

#4 Manuel Neuer

Is there a better keeper in the world than Manuel Neuer at the moment?

If there is one position, the depths of which have not been seriously tested thus far, it has to the goalkeeping department as Keylor Navas has not entirely managed to convince the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And who would be a better fit to the current attacking line-up that exists at Real Madrid than Manuel Neuer who continues to amaze millions season after season? His ongoing recovery from a foot injury has resulted in a goalkeeping crisis at the Allianz Arena and his importance to the success of the side re-emphasised and he could really prove to be the solution to the conundrum that exists at the Santiago Bernabeu.

While he has built a strong reputation for himself as a goalkeeper who has the ability to make inroads offensively, it would be foolhardy to deny that he possesses one of the best shot-stopping skills in the world. Neuer was critical to his side conceding a mere 22 goals last season with a plethora of superb saves and kept a clean sheet in 14 of the 26 league games that he featured in.

At 31 years of age, Neuer is relatively young for a goalkeeper and Real Madrid would be well-placed if they can bring the German to Spain.

#3 Jerome Boateng

Jerome Boateng was hailed as the best centre-back in the world by Pep Guardiola

While their attack has a played a critical role in their success over the last few years, the Real Madrid defence too has played its part despite being a unit that fails to inspire the requisite levels of confidence amongst the club’s faithful.

Be it Sergio Ramos’ eccentricities or Raphael Varane’s error-prone nature, Real Madrid fans are always on the edge of their seats. So, what they perhaps need to complement Ramos’ abilities is a man who could provide the required solidarity to the Real Madrid backline and who better to look at than the German powerhouse Jerome Boateng.

While the player has spent considerable time on the medical table since joining Bayern Munich, make no mistake, when he is fit, he is one of the best central defenders in the game. The German international has shown the ability to disrupt the opposition’s rhythm with a mix of tackles, interceptions as well as blocks and has put in several defensive master classes in the Bayern Munich jersey.

The 29-year-old has made rapid strides in his career and is believed to be amongst the best sweepers in the game at the moment and having a player of his calibre, as well as calmness, would immensely benefit the seemingly fragile Real Madrid back line.

#2 Timo Werner

Werner is expected to become a regular with the German National Team in the years to come

Timo Werner has been setting the Bundesliga alight ever since he made the move to Red Bull Leipzig from Stuttgart at the start of the last season. While he was believed to be a prized asset even during his time at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, his career seemed to have stagnated prior to his move to the Red Bull Arena and in hindsight, the transfer is the best thing to happen in Werner’s short career thus far.

The 21-year-old has found regular game time at his new club and with games under his belt, his confidence has grown rapidly and that reflected in his numbers from the last season where he scored 21 goals and assisted another 5 in 31 appearances.

Given Real Madrid’s reputation for bringing the best in the business to the Santiago Bernabeu, we expect that Werner’s camp will inevitably be approached by the Los Blancos and that could happen very soon, especially with Karim Benzema lacklustre performances as well as Gareth Bale’s injury prone nature.

While he is sure to cost a lot of money, we don’t envisage a club like Real Madrid will have any problem coughing up a huge sum to acquire the services of a player destined for greater times.

#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang has been on fire for Dortmund

Aubameyang was linked extensively with a move to Real Madrid and with the player admitting that he would love to play for them, it was believed to be a marriage made in heaven. The Gabonese international has developed a penchant for scoring goals regularly and would instantly add a lot of firepower to the existing arsenal at Real Madrid.

While it all came to nought as Los Blancos failed to register a concrete interest in the striker, we believe that there might be more to come as the side looks to either replace or improve on their existing attacking options and a deal for Aubameyang could be back on the table despite the player’s persistence that he will never speak to Madrid again.

The 28-year-old scored an incredible 38 goals and assisted another 3 in his 41 appearances last season and has begun the current season really well, scoring 11 goals in as many games and looks set to torment defenders in Germany yet again.

His pace, physicality, ability on the ball as well as goal-scoring prowess would immensely benefit the Madrid club. Not only would make it one of the swiftest attacks in the game of football, it could also provide the Madrid club with an option to look to should Benzema continue with his poor form.