The aftermath of Ronaldo's transfer: Real Madrid possible transfer targets

Real Madrid fans were still not over the departure of Zinedine Zidane as he resigned as the head coach of the club soon after they finished celebrating the champions league triumph for the third consecutive time. Just after the UCL final in Kiev where the Los Blancos defeated Liverpool by a 3-1 margin, Real Madrid's talisman Cristiano Ronaldo shook everyone with his post-match interview where he said, "It was very beautiful to be in Madrid" using the past tense. After weeks of rumors, the Portuguese have officially agreed on a 4-year contract leaving Real Madrid with many voids in the attacking squad. While most of the Real Madrid's elite players are rumored to part ways with the club including Marcelo, Benzema, and Kovacic who's being linked with Pep's Manchester City. Achraf Hakimi has been sent on a loan to Borussia Dortmund. Julen Lopetegui, the newly appointed manager of the club has good relationships with the Spanish players who've played under him in the Spanish national side. Dani Cabellos might be a big part of his plans and Asensio, Vallejo, Vasquez, and Nacho are all expected to be given more minutes under Lopetegui.

It is obvious that after the departure of Zidane and Ronaldo and many more other players expected to leave, Real Madrid will have to undergo a complete changeover in their style and squad. Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos are aging and the club might require fresh boots to take their place soon. While the players and the fans are still in a state of shock after Cristiano's exit, Club president Perez and the manager Julen Lopetegui must be stressing out to bring a star signing to replace Ronaldo and also maintain their pride in the footballing world. Florentino Perez has never been disappointing in terms of new signings as he signed the biggest stars in football during his presidency. He's the one who started the 'Galactico' scheme and it is expected that Perez might land another star or two during this transfer window as the club needs it the most right now.

Let's have a look at some top transfer targets after Ronaldo's departure:

#1 Neymar

The Brazilian had not been in the top of his form in the FIFA World Cup 2018 but he has been a eye candy for Real Madrid's president Florentino Perez ever since he was playing in Santos FC in Brazil. Los Blancos tried to sign the forward earlier but Barcelona succeeded in giving him a better contract and eventually landed him in FC Barcelona in May 2013. However, Neymar moved to Ligue 1 giants PSG for a world record fee in 2017. Real Madrid would like to bring Neymar to the Spanish Capital to fill the void left on the left flank. Neymar is said to be the perfect heir of Ronaldo at Real Madrid and the fans would be delighted to see the ex-Barcelona man to wear the white kits and help them reach the glories domestically as well as in Europe.

Neymar

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#2 Eden Hazard

The Belgian sensation is believed to be the top contender of individual titles after the Messi-Ronaldo era. Eden Hazard has been enjoying life in London in Chelsea FC and recently had a great world cup outing being named the captain for the Belgium squad. The inclusion of Eden Hazard would give an unstoppable boost to the Real Madrid midfield. Chelsea not qualifying for the UCL 2018-19 might be a factor which may move Hazard to the Spanish capital. He also said, "If Real Madrid wants me, they know what to do" which sparks up the possibilities. It is expected that Real Madrid will make a 150 million Euro bid for the Chelsea star and might face competition from their arch-rivals FC Barcelona to get his signatures. Eden Hazard would be an asset for any team in this world and Florentino Perez will try his best to bring the argued best playmaker in the world.

Eden Hazard in action in the World Cup 2018.

#3 Paulo Dybala

Argentine sensation Paulo Dybala has not enjoyed many minutes in the world cup campaign but could be on a move to Santiago Bernabeu as it would not be easy to pay the wages of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala, and Higuain at the same time. There have been interests from Chelsea in Gonzalo Higuain but it looks highly unlikely that the Argentine forward would leave so it is a possibility that Real Madrid will look to land Paulo Dybala who'd make way for the wages of Cristiano Ronaldo fall on a smoother track. Dybala has been in a brilliant form recently in the Serie A in the past season and is being expected to be a top quality signing for Los Blancos. Gareth Bale is heavily being linked with Manchester United so that would leave a void in the right flank which would make Dybala fit in perfectly. Only time will tell whether Dybala remains a Black and White or turns into pure white.

Paulo Dybala walking out of the pitch.

#Robert Lewandowski

The big gun from Poland once outplayed Real Madrid single-handedly during his Borussia Dortmund days and came into the limelight only to see Bayern Munich making a move for the forward. Since then, he's been enjoying every domestic season with a bagful of goals and has been on Real Madrid's radar on and off. Now that Ronaldo has left and Karim Benzema looks set to leave for Napoli, Lewandowski might well want to join Real Madrid who awaits the arrival of a lethal striker. In terms of creation, Real Madrid is the top quality team even without Ronaldo but they'll surely miss a poacher who'll covert those chances into goals. Robert Lewandowski despite his growing age is still one of the best finishers in the world and is expected to deliver what Real Madrid is expecting. Bayern Munich might be expecting at least 50 million euros for the Poland striker and Real Madrid would not think twice to land the striker in Bernabeu.

Robert Lewandowski in action against Columbia.

#5 James Rodriguez

Despite the loan move turning into a permanent signing of James Rodriguez in Bayern Munich, Los Blancos would still like to bring back James from Bayern as Luka Modric may be playing his last year as he's 33 years old. Real Madrid would like to bring James back to Bernabeu as the player also loves his club and had a good relationship with all the players and staff. Zidane's resignation may guarantee more playing time under Julen Lopetegui as his playing style suits the manager's tactics. In terms of precision and creativity, James Rodriguez is one of the best midfielders in the world right now. He left the Spanish capital in search of more playing minutes and after the departure of Zidane, he might find suitable conditions to play for the club he loves it by heart. It's highly unlikely that James won't be back to Madrid. A return to Madrid is on the cards for James Rodriguez.

James Rodriguez cheering teammates from the bench.