Top 5 players who could join Real Madrid this summer

Horrible, horrific, horrendous...no matter how you label it, Real Madrid’s 2018/19 season was all of that. Even the return of the miracle-worker Zinedine Zidane in March could not cause an upturn in the fortunes.

Third in LaLiga. An unprecedented 19 points behind Barcelona. Twelve league defeats. Lowest point tally in 17 years. The highest number of losses in all competitions in 20 years. Earliest exit from the Champions League in eight years.

Suffice to say, Los Blancos have posted several unwanted records this season which will go down as their worst in this millennium.

Insufficient reinforcements, dismal on-field form, painfully predictable tactics, and laughably inept performances are some of the instrumental factors behind a catastrophic season.

Zidane was no way going to turn this around by merely taking over the helm again. The problems ran really deep.

But all said and done, the fallen giants are surely going to witness a similarly pandemonic summer but in a positive way as several big signings are on the horizon. President Florentino Perez has seen enough. The time has come for him to splash the cash and pilot what’s likely to be the Galacticos project-3.

However, who are the players Real Madrid are chasing? Here are the top 5 of them:

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#5 Ferland Mendy

Mendy is seen as a panacea to Madrid's left-back woes

Real Madrid’s putrid season was marked by the poor form of several first-teamers in the squad. Including that of Marcelo. The Brazilian was just abject this season, whereas injuries and subsequent layoffs did little to espouse his cause.

Sergio Regullion too offered no great shakes as his replacement. So basically, left-back is a position where Zidane needs desperate reinforcements. In comes Ferland Mendy.

Lyon’s 23-year old fullback has emerged to be a possible target according to Spanish press Marca but might also cost a relatively hefty outlay of €45 million.

He had quite a promising season with the French side who will finish third this season - they sit four points clear of St Etienne with only a match left to play - and also scored twice and assisted once in 26 stars, besides also maintaining an admirable 84% passing accuracy.

He will contend with Marcelo for the starting spot, as Regullion appears to move out on a loan. Theo Hernandez, who’s already on a loan from the Blancos at Real Sociedad, may continue his exile.

#4 Luka Jovic

Real Madrid fought off the challenge from Chelsea to sign Jovic

Whilst Jadon Sancho has hogged the limelight with his stellar performances for Borussia Dortmund in a breakout year, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic too had been firing at all cylinders.

The Serbian ended the campaign with 27 goals and seven assists in all competitions as he was the sole bright spot in an erratic Eagles squad. He also played an instrumental role in the side’s Europa League fortunes, bagging 10 of those 27 strikes in this competition to help attain a respectable semi-final finish.

Unlike other players on this list who are still only “likely” to join the Merengues, this one’s a done deal, with the announcement to be made official sometime later this week.

An alleged outlay of £52.4 million has been made to sign the striker, who will likely partner Karim Benzema to bolster the attacking vanguard.

#3 Paul Pogba

Solskjaer will reportedly allow Pogba to join Los Blancos

Another player closely pursued by Real Madrid for many moons, Pogba appears to be on his way out of Manchester United once again this summer.

According to reports, the Red Devils manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer might allow the Frenchman to leave Old Trafford, even though Los Blancos themselves haven’t confirmed anything yet. However, it is believed that United are in turn set to sign Madrid outcast Gareth Bale in an exchange deal.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman ended the season as the top-scorer of the club with 16 goals and another 11 assists to his name, and yet, was among the first players in the squad to bear the brunt of the fans during a dismal season.

Real Madrid is set for a massive squad overhaul, and midfield is one of the important positions that need reinforcements. So naturally, Pogba has emerged to be the primary target with Zidane also apparently fancying him pulling the strings from the heart of his new-look midfield.

#2 Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe has set his sights on Champions League glory, which is more likely with Madrid than PSG

France’s wonderkid has always shown us that he is bound for bigger things. And Real Madrid appears to be his calling now.

The 20-year old has struck a staggering 32 goals for Les Parisians in Ligue 1 this season, trailing only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in Europe’s top five leagues. And mind you, he still has a game left and has his eyes firmly set on the European Golden Boot.

Mbappe has not only carried his World Cup form into the club season but has also pushed it up higher by a notch or two. And given Madrid’s track record of going after the next big things in football, it was only a matter of time before he appeared on their radar.

Only last weekend at a ceremony where he sweeped Ligue 1’s best player and best young player prizes, he dropped a hint of a possible move when said he’s ready to shoulder greater responsibilities even in a “new project”.

Now that’s enough for the Whites to come out all guns blazing for his signature.

#1 Eden Hazard

The Chelsea stalwart looks to be finally on his way to join Real Madrid

The Belgian talisman has long been on the wishlist of the Madridistas even though nothing of note transpired until now. But it looks like the move is finally set to materialise this summer with Hazard himself casting a doubt over his Chelsea future.

The 28-year old first sparked rumours of a move in February when he said he has already decided on his future while fielding questions of a possible departure, before reiterating the idea of playing in the Champions League.

The Blues have secured qualification for next season after finishing third in the Premier League this season. However, the prospects of playing for a team with a European pedigree like Los Blancos is obviously more tempting.

Hazard still has the Europa League final coming up next week, but that is widely touted to be his final appearance for the London outfit.