What’s the story?
Zinedine Zidane has made up his mind as to which positions he wants to strengthen for Real Madrid this coming summer. There will be some exits with several first team players looking very likely to leave.
According to AS, the Frenchman has identified those positions which Madrid need to strengthen and has also picked out the players who he wants to sign to fill those positions. The first order of business is supposedly a goalkeeper.
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With most fans not wanting Keylor Navas at the club and also given his on and off performances Zidane wants a more recognizable Number 1 in between the sticks.The two players he is currently targeting are David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois.
He also wants to strengthen his midfield with two players currently on his shortlist. The last position of importance is the defense. With Pepe most likely to leave after deciding not to renew his contract, Zidane is set to recall one of the youngsters out on loan plus one signing as well.
In case you didn’t know...
Real Madrid were handed a transfer ban which was initially supposed to last until the January of 2018 but it was cut short thanks to an appeal which helped to overturn the original decision.
The heart of the matter
David De Gea has been Real Madrid’s number one target for quite some time now but it will not be easy trying convincing Jose Mourinho and Manchester United to part with their most prized player.
He will most likely turn to Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois who has been linked with a return to Madrid quite often. He had expressed his interest in joining Real last year before making a U-Turn on that decision recently.
The two midfielders Zidane wants are AS Monaco’s Thomas Lemar and more importantly Chelsea’s Eden Hazard. The Belgian is another long target for Real Madrid and with the kind of season, he is having it is very likely he could make the move to the Spanish giants.
In defense, Zidane will give on-loan star Jesus Vallejo a chance next season. Danilo is not the most reliable right back and has been booed by the Bernabeu crowd pretty often since his arrival.
With him likely to be sold along with outcast Fabio Coentrao Madrid want Atletico’s Theo Hernandez but unfortunately, the club being eternal city rivals the move might be impossible.
What’s next?
Zidane will have to start ground work on the transfers now if he wants to complete them in the summer. He and Perez have clashed before on who they want but it seems like they have managed to reach a final agreement.
Author’s take?
The players that have been named on Zidane’s shortlist all seem like the type of players the Frenchman would like to sign. Efficient and smart signings who will add value to the team. But getting them to the Bernabeu is another matter
