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In the recent years, Real Madrid has never really been an active participant in the January transfer window. It was back in the 2008/09 season when Real spent a considerable amount in January, bringing in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar from Ajax for £23.76m and Lassana Diarra from Portsmouth for £17.60m. Since then, the only players that have arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu during January are Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City in the 2010/11 season and in 2012/13, when Diego Lopez was signed from Sevilla after Iker Casillas was out injured.Usually lavish spenders during the summer, Real Madrid have always shied away from spending big during the winter. This term too, as the side continues to dominate in all competitions with a 20-match winning streak still on, the chances of Real going big with transfers are slim. Yet, with quite a few names being linked and with Real looking to strengthen its academy, we take a look at 5 prospective targets for Real Madrid to target in the upcoming transfer window.
#5 Pedro Chirivella
The Spain U-18 captain Chirivella currently is at the Liverpool youth academy but has been so impressive that he has also been training with the senior side. Naturally a central midfielder, Chirivella has already started drawing comparisons to the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player and his idol Xabi Alonso.
Having completed the signing of 18-year old winger Marco Asensio and Ajax’s 16-year-old midfielder Mink Peeters, Real Madrid are really going about beefing up their academy with the brightest prospects in football. In such a scenario, convincing Chirivella to move would not be difficult and will be a good signing for the Spanish side.
#4 Martin degaard
The Norwegian wonderkid is probably the most talked about player right now with regard to transfer speculations. Ødegaard came into attention when he made his debut for the Norway senior team when he was 15 years and 253 days old.
Now, having had training stints with Bayern Munich and Liverpool and with teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Ajax all trying to sign Ødegaard, Real will have to sweat it out to secure the talented midfielder. But, with Ødegaard himself praising the Real Madrid youth setup, Carlo Ancelotti might still have the best chance to sign yet another gem for their academy.
#3 Ricardo Rodriguez
The Swiss left-back has been on the radars of various clubs including Real Madrid for quite some time now. After having an impressive FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Rodriguez was tipped for a big money move in the summer but his current club Wolfsburg held onto their priced asset.
However, with his contract expiring in 2016 and a contract extension talk yet not successful, Wolfsburg might be prepared to let go off Rodriguez now. The 22-year old is equally good at the back as well as he is going up and even though Real Madrid already have Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao in the same position, Coentrao is widely expected to go out in January and if that happens, Rodriguez would be a welcome addition.
#2 Lucas Silva
Lucas Silva is a 21-year old Brazilian who can function either as a defensive midfielder or as a box-to-box midfielder. Silva is one of the best defensive midfielders in Brazil right now and having played a crucial part in Cruzeiro’s Brazilian League winning campaign, he is being heavily linked with a number of clubs. The demand for a relatively inexperienced player highlights the fact that quality defensive midfielders are very hard to come by.
With Sami Khedira linked with a move away from the Bernabeu and Luka Modric injured, Silva will be a rightful addition for the Blancos in January. Even though their bid of £12m have been rejected, Real should not lose out on the Brazilian in January as there are other clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United who ready to swoop in for the talented youngster.
#1 Marco Reus
The Marco Reus transfer saga has been going on for like what is forever. The 25-year old German’s future at a struggling Borussia Dortmund side now looks short lived with a lot of potential suitors lined up.The Reus saga is not helping Dortmund either with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the winger and it would be better for them if they could let him leave for a good amount and get a replacement soon.
It is likely that Reus will join Real Madrid in the summer anyway, but it would be better that they move sooner and get him in January. It is true that Reus has been struggling with injuries recently, but there is no denying his talents. At Real with all the talent they have right now, Reus could be eased into action and then be unleashed once he is fully fit. And with Gareth Bale the chosen one likely to be packed off next season, as confirmed by many sources, Reus could establish himself in the lineup then.
