5 Serie A stars who would make Real Madrid a better team

There is not much doubt that Real Madrid is, indeed, the best team in the world at the moment. As a matter of fact, they are the reigning Spanish as well as European champions after having dominated Juventus, following a 4-1 drubbing in the final.

Having said that, retaining your place at the top of the mountain is very often a harder task than climbing it, in the first place.

Los Blancos need to take the necessary steps in order to retain their current success, and one of the essential measures is certainly to be active in the transfer market. That being said, here are 5 players from the Italian league, who we believe can improve Real Madrid and allow their dominance to last for longer:

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#5 - Dries Mertens:

Mertens in action against Real Madrid in the Champions League 2016/17

Karim Benzema has so often done the job for Real Madrid. His intelligent link-up play helps allows Cristiano Ronaldo more freedom on the pitch and helps create more goal-scoring chances in and around the area.

However, the French star has been worryingly inconsistent in the past few months, as the Bernabéu fans already regret selling Spanish striker Alvaro Morata to English champions, Chelsea.

What Benzema needs is competition, and Dries Mertens is certainly someone capable of providing it to him. The Napoli attacker is already on 8 goals and 3 assists in 12 games this season, whereas Karim has merely reached 3 goal involvements in 6 matches.

Regardless of whether the Frenchman is out of form or injured, Madrid need a reliable alternative. The room for error is minimal at this high a level, and the sooner the Spanish giants act to solve this problem, the better.

#4 - Alessandro Florenzi:

Alessandro Florenzi in action against Scotland - International Friendly

Dani Carvajal is arguably the best right back in the world, as we speak. But with his discouraging injury-record as well as his recent viral pericardium infection that kept him on the sidelines for a couple of weeks, Real Madrid might want to look for a like-for-like replacement.

Danilo was far from being a key player at the club, but his departure to Manchester City certainly makes Carvajal's absence more of a problem now. Alessandro Florenzi is only 26 years old and is already one of the best right backs in Italy.

Florenzi's characteristics are similar to Carvajal, as he is considered to be a very offensive-minded fullback. In many matches against opponents who sit deep, Madrid tend to rely on the Carvajal and Marcelo's forward runs and recurrent crosses, to find the solution. It is therefore essential to replace Carvajal with someone who can support the attack in the same way.

Florenzi is a product of AS Roma's youth academy and made his debut in a 3-1 victory over Sampdoria in 2011. Since then, he has gone a long way and is now considered a regular squad member in Italy's national team. Versatile enough to play in midfielder or even as winger whenever needed, Alessandro could be a useful utility-man in a squad haunted by injuries.

#3 - Leonardo Bonucci:

Bonucci up against Ronaldo as Juventus clash with Madrid - 2015 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final

Leonardo Bonucci had an impeccable 2016/2017 season with Juventus, guiding them to the UEFA Champions League final with an impressive defensive record, before eventually falling apart against Real Madrid. Rumors emerged that there had been a locker-room feud at halftime, which eventually led to the departures of the likes of Bonucci and Dani Alves.

The 30-year old has not enjoyed great success with his new club, AC Milan, so far, but his quality should not be put into question based on 2 months. He is head and shoulders above most defenders in the world, and features in the FIFPro team of the year, in central defence alongside Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

Imagine what a duo these two monsters would form. Besides their defensive quality, both have world class ball-playing abilities and tend to operate as deep-lying playmakers, in many situations, in order to marginally improve their side's build-up play. After losing the precious services of Pepe, signing Bonucci would do Real Madrid no harm.

All in all, Bonucci has won 6 league titles, 6 Italian cups and 3 Italian Supercups. Leonardo has that winning mentality and would easily fit into the Real Madrid puzzle.

#2 - Gianluigi Donnarumma:

Donnarumma up against US Sassuolo Calcio in Serie A

Gianluigi Donnarumma made his Serie A debut and kept his sheets clean for the first time at the age of 16, becoming the youngest goalkeeper in the league's history, to do so. At 17, he had already received a call-up to represent Italy's national team and is already being touted as Buffon's heir.

Donnarumma is already one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Italian league, and will certainly continue to develop his talent in the next few years. Many pundits already agree that he has the qualities and the mentality to one day, be regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's current first-choice option Keylor Navas, continues to receive criticism as he tends to commit the odd blunder, every now and then. The Spanish club almost signed De Gea from Manchester United 2 years ago, so their intentions of replacing the Costa Rica international is hardly breaking news.

In the summer, rumours had linked Donnarumma with a Milan exit after his agent Mino Raiola had reportedly convinced him to leave the club for the reigning champions of Europe, but the move did not happen after Gianluigi was able to find a solution with the new Milan board in charge.

How could it go wrong if Real Madrid get their hands on, quite possibly, a future all-time great, who is already capable of delivering at present times?

#1 - Paulo Dybala:

Dybala celebrates a league goal against FC Crotone - S

Paulo Dybala is regarded by many as the best player in Italy at the moment. The 23-year old has taken the Serie A by storm, having already found the net on 10 different occasions in merely 9 games, this season.

The Argentinian sensation averages 3.1 dribbles as well as 1.5 chances created per game, which makes him the perfect upgrade over Welsh star Gareth Bale. Despite Bale's extremely successful first season at the club where he ended it by scoring in the Champions League final, owing to the 28-year old's recurrent problems, he is spending his time on the sidelines, more often than not.

At this moment, Dybala is already a better and more complete footballer. He has the characteristics to operate on the right-hand side, while taking advantage of his freedom to cut-in to a central position whenever necessary, in order to deliver the final ball.

In Italy, Paulo is often labelled as the new Messi, which is by itself a huge praise to any player - despite the pressure that it adds. But Dybala always rises to the occasion and this is exactly why, after having dominated the Serie A, it may be time for him to make the move to the Spanish giants, where he will have a shot at the Champions League.

Juventus would not let go of La Joya for cheap, but he would be worth every penny if the Spanish giants ever decide to invest.