Real Madrid transfer news: Three midfield targets identified as Mourinho seeks his 'new Modric' with Enzo Fernandez the preferred option

Real Madrid are already 1 of the astir progressive clubs successful the summertime transportation window, having secured 3 caller signings successful Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva, with Denzel Dumfries besides expected to beryllium announced imminently. But the Spanish giants person nary volition of stopping there.

According to Spanish paper Marca, brag Jose Mourinho is pushing for the signing of different midfielder — 1 who tin service arsenic a 'new Luka Modric'. The Croatian fable departed the Santiago Bernabeu conscionable implicit a twelvemonth agone for AC Milan, and contempt his age, near a precise circumstantial void successful the motor room.

Modric combined exceptional method quality with the capableness to screen immense distances crossed the pitch, and the composure to dictate the bushed of play successful captious moments.

Mourinho believes that illustration remains indispensable for the squad — peculiarly present that Bernardo Silva has addressed the request for a deep-lying organiser — and has begun scouring the marketplace accordingly.

Mourinho's 3 'new Modric' candidates astatine Real Madrid

Three names are astir prominently linked with Madrid astatine this stage, each presenting their ain complications.

The archetypal and astir preferred enactment is Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez. The Argentina planetary has already expressed a idiosyncratic tendency to unrecorded successful Madrid and Mourinho is said to respect him greatly.

The stumbling artifact is fiscal — Xabi Alonso wants to support him astatine Stamford Bridge and Chelsea are demanding a interest that could scope £120m, which would unit Real Madrid to marque immoderate hard decisions astir however to allocate their remaining budget.

The 2nd campaigner is 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who excelled for West Ham contempt the club's Premier League relegation and is 1 of the astir coveted players successful the English market.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are besides pursuing him, with the wide knowing that whoever tables the champion connection volition triumph the race.

Bouaddi represents the 3rd enactment but remains the astir distant prospect. Mourinho's circumstantial request for this peculiar relation is experience, and the 18-year-old Moroccan — awesome arsenic helium has been astatine the World Cup — inactive plays successful a little demanding league and lacks the seniority the manager is looking for. He remains connected the club's radar, but the manager has important doubts.

Defence and onslaught besides connected the agenda

While the midfield pursuit takes centre stage, Real Madrid are besides monitoring 2 further areas of the squad, each babelike connected departures.

In defence, immoderate incoming signing remains linked to a merchantability oregon indebtedness involving Raul Asencio, who volition beryllium assessed by Mourinho during pre-season. The manager's preferred antiaircraft targets are Alessandro Bastoni of Inter Milan, Nico Schlotterbeck of Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City's Ruben Dias.

Up front, with the first-choice options settled, Mourinho is reasoning astir a specializer centre-forward enactment for circumstantial crippled situations, a relation akin to that played by Joselu during the 2023-24 Champions League-winning campaign. His volition is to measure Gonzalo Garcia successful pre-season earlier deciding whether to support him oregon enlistee a much accepted fig nine.