Scouting For Zidane – Three Perfect Summer Signings Real Madrid Should Consider Bringing In

Real Madrid saw out the January transfer window without any addition to their roster due to the transfer ban on the club. The European champions were originally barred from registering new players for two transfer windows by FIFA, due to irregularities in the club’s signing of young players, meaning Zinedine Zidane would have had to wait until January next year to add new faces to his squad. However, following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Madrid’s transfer ban was halved, enabling them to bolster their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.

While Zidane’s Madrid are at the top of the La Liga currently, there have been plenty of areas of concern on the pitch for the Frenchman. His compatriot and Madrid striker Karim Benzema is looking a pale shadow of his past in recent weeks, whereas right-back Danilo keeps highlighting what a poor signing he was with poor performances week after week. Cristiano Ronaldo too has found it hard to score consistently, making goals harder to come by for the Los Blancos. And with Pepe set to depart, a place also opens up in the defence.

So, ahead of what will most likely be a summer of huge investment and rebuilding at the Santiago Bernabeu, we give you three players that Madrid should most certainly look to sign:

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

It is no hidden fact that Aubameyang wants to be a Galactico. The Borussia Dortmund striker has time and again expressed his desire to move to the Spanish capital and play for the Merengues and last week even went on record saying that, he will leave the Signal Iduna Park in the upcoming transfer window.

The Gabon international scored 39 goals last season for BVB and has already been on target 20 times this term. With Benzema going through somewhat of a rough patch in recent times, it gives the scope of having another star striker in the ranks who will be able to deliver on a regular basis and Aubameyang could be that man for Madrid.

He will be 28 years old when the transfer window will open in July, and he is at the top of his game currently and it should be the perfect moment for both the player and the club to join hands. This deal has the potential to be a hugely successful one and Real should go for it without a doubt.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos

Aubameyang is not the only Dortmund player chased by the Spanish capital side, with the 11-time European champions, also reportedly lining up a move for Greek centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

According to reports earlier in December, Zidane has made Sokratis his primary target as a replacement for the Chinese Super League-bound Pepe. The 28-year old isn’t in any way a Galactico signing that Madrid have become famous for over the years, but is no doubt a fine defender and could be the perfect replacement for Pepe.

Strong, tall and physical, Sokratis ticks the boxes for most things that are expected of a centre-back. An excellent header of the ball, an astute tackler and a good reader of the game, the BVB man has proven his credentials over the years in Bundesliga. And what more, he is equally good with the ball at his feet and can carry the ball out of defence with comfort. Experienced, a leader on the field, Sokratis will make a fine addition to the Madrid side.

Dele Alli

Another player who Madrid have been constantly linked with in recent months, Alli has been slaying it in the Premier League with Tottenham. The 20-year old has emerged as one of the finest attacking midfielders in England in his short tenure at the White Hart Lane, and looks to be destined for bigger things.

Highly skilled and an intelligent operator, Alli’s rise to the top has been fast and eventful. The former MK Dons midfielder finished his first season with the Lilywhites with 10 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League and has gone on to better his goal tally already this season, having netted 11 times. Real Madrid may have a plethora of attacking talent at their disposal, but the likes of Isco and James Rodriguez haven’t really made a case for their continued inclusion and are always linked with a move away from Spain.

Madrid’s interest in Alli is strong and they are willing to pay as much as £50 million for the Englishman. The goals, the intensity and the tenacity that Alli will bring to the Madrid midfield is worth the money and having seen players make the switch from North London to Madrid in the past, this one too could happen come the summer window.