With the La Liga title and UEFA Champions League double in hand, Real Madrid head into the 2022 summer offseason with a number of questions to answer.
The Real Madrid squad is aging, and while some younger players have climbed the ladder and established themselves as first-team regulars, they still rely on a number of older players and a succession plan will soon be required in the case of a few of them.
Karim Benzema, coming off a possible Ballon d’Or calibre season, is 34 years old, and an eventual decline is inevitable. Midfielder Toni Kroos is 32 years old and occasionally looked unable to keep up with the rigors of a full season, but his midfield partner Luka Modric still oozes quality at 36 years old. The club will keep all three around, but Los Blancos will surely be planning ahead.
Losing out to PSG for 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe was a painful blow, and Real Madrid’s response to the swing and miss could define the summer.
The Sporting News is rounding up the key updates — all day, every day — below.
REAL MADRID CONFIRMED DEALS: TRANSFERS IN | TRANSFERS OUT | UPDATED REAL MADRID SQUAD LIST
REAL MADRID ANALYSIS: How Madrid won Champions League final | Who owns Real Madrid? | Why Thibaut Courtois was the Champions League final MVP
Real Madrid transfer news
Last update: June 19 @ 14:16 ET / 19:16 BST
Real Madrid ‘could put a deal in place for Jude Bellingham’
According to Cadena Ser on June 14, Real Madrid could put a deal in place for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham this year, but not for a permanent transfer this summer. With the Real Madrid roster full for this season, Los Blancos would prefer a deal for next summer.
The report states that because the Madrid roster has no more room for international players, the two clubs could come to an agreement that would see Los Blancos get a “preferential option” for next summer. This would allow Madrid to secure Bellingham at a cheaper price should his performances impress this coming year, inflating his value.
It’s unclear what Dortmund’s motivation for this deal would be, as his inflated value would only benefit the German club, and an early deal would instead cap his value.
Defensa Central backed up the Cadena Ser report with similar news on June 19, stating Liverpool and Man United could present competition for Bellingham’s signature.
Mariano, Jovic on way out of Madrid?
While Real Madrid is linked with a host of other incoming names, Los Blancos will need to trim the roster to make room for any other arrivals. Two players who could be offloaded are strikers Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic.
Mariano, who graduated from the Real Madrid youth system but has never made significant noise for a first team place. Now the 28-year-old could move on from the Bernabeu, with Sevilla reportedly interested, according to Defensa Central, although there are difficulties around a deal due to Mariano’s desire to see out the one year remaining on his contract.
Jovic, meanwhile, arrived in the summer of 2019 from Eintracht Frankfurt for big money, but has been a severe disappointment. The 24-year-old would be a sell low candidate, with Fabrizio Romano on on June 17 reporting discussions with Fiorentina over a loan move.
Real Madrid face Chelsea battle over Gabriel Slonina
‘Gaga’ Slonina was reportedly to close to agreeing a £5m (€5.8m/$6.3m) move to Chelsea in March but their advances were blocked due to the transfer embargo the Blues were operating under at the time.
Real Madrid have since had a bid rejected for the Chicago Fire and US youth international, as per a report from MLSsoccer.com.
That has created a stand off between all parties, and despite the confidence of Slonina’s agent Jaime Garcia, over a move to Madrid, Chelsea may have regained the advantage.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims the Blues have reacted swiftly to Real Madrid’s offer, with a new €10m (£8.5m/$10.4m) set to be accepted for the 18-year-old.
Gabriel Slonina deal update. Chelsea are now really close to signing the talented goalkeeper, they are pushing after Real Madrid bid rejected – talks are in progress with Chelsea to get the deal done soon. 🚨🔵 #CFC
€10m fee expected by Chicago for 2004-born GK Slonina. pic.twitter.com/N2cUflb5Vx
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 12, 2022
Luka Modric confirms Real Madrid extension
Real Madrid have finally confirmed a contract extension for veteran star Luka Modric in the Spanish capital.
The Croatian stated his intention to sign another 12-month renewal at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu following their Champions League triumph in Paris.
Florentino Pérez 👕 @lukamodric10 #RealMadrid | #Modrić2023 pic.twitter.com/f6jc8FA9GB
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 8, 2022
Los Blancos have continued their policy of offering one-year deals to players aged 30 and over as Modric plays on with an eye on leading Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar.
The former Spurs midfielder has made 436 appearances in all competitions, since arriving in Spain in 2012, with three La Liga and five Champions League titles to his name.
Other Real Madrid transfer news
| Date | Player | Publication | News |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 15 | Marco Asensio | Marca | Marco Asensio has just one year left on his Madrid contract, but could be open to an extension despite links elsewhere this summer |
| June 9 | Reece James | Daily Mail | Real Madrid are considering a move for the Chelsea star, with Man City also monitoring |
| June 8 | Dani Ceballos | Marca | The midfielder is mulling a Madrid exit after falling further down the depth chart last season and the arrival of Tchouameni |
| June 6 | Raheem Sterling | AS, The Express | Man City have offered Raheem Sterling to major European clubs including Real Madrid with a price tag of £50m |
| May 25 | Eden Hazard | Het Laaste Nieuws | Eden Hazard says he is unlikely to leave Real Madrid this summer, loan or transfer |
| May 25 | Rafael Leao | Gazzetta dello Sport | Real Madrid was linked to the £120m winger after missing on Mbappe, but Milan director Maldini considers Leao “untouchable” |
Real Madrid summer transfer window 2022
Players In:
| Date | Player | Position | Age | Club | Transfer/Loan Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2 | Antonio Rudiger | CB | 29 | Chelsea | Free Transfer |
| June 14 | Aurelien Tchouameni | MF | 22 | Monaco | £68m + £17m add-ons |
Aurelien Tchouameni joins Madrid
Madrid confirmed in a statement on June 11 that France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni would be officially unveiled as their player on June 14, when he will undergo a final medical to seal his move from Monaco.
The 22-year-old has signed a six-year deal at the Bernabeu.
💫 #WelcomeTchouaméni 💫 pic.twitter.com/8K4aKOfdJU
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 11, 2022
Antonio Rudiger deal confirmed
On June 2, Real Madrid finally announced the signing of German defender Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer from Chelsea.The talented 29-year-old has agreed a four-year deal with the club.
🙌 #WelcomeRüdiger 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rP2yFOjse1
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 2, 2022
Players Out:
| Date | Player | Position | Age | Club | Transfer/Loan Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | Gareth Bale | RW | 32 | Out of Contract | Free Transfer |
| June 30 | Marcelo | LB | 34 | Out of Contract | Free Transfer |
| June 30 | Isco | CAM | 30 | Out of Contract | Free Transfer |
Below is the updated Real Madrid first-team roster. New additions during the summer 2022 window are noted in bold:
Goalkeepers (2): Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin
Defenders (7): Antonio Rudiger (CB) David Alaba (CB), Dani Carvajal (RB), Nacho Fernandez (CB), Miguel Gutierrez (LB), Ferland Mendy (LB), Eder Militao (CB), Lucas Vazquez (RB), Antonio Rudiger (CB), Marcelo (LB).
Midfielders (6): Eduardo Camavinga (CM), Casemiro (CM), Dani Ceballos (CM), Toni Kroos (CM), Luka Modric (CM), Federico Valverde (CM), Aurelin Tchouameni (CM), Isco (CAM).
Forwards (7): Marco Asensio (RW), Karim Benzema (CF), Mariano Diaz (CF), Eden Hazard (LW), Luka Jovic (CF), Vinicius Junior (LW), Rodrygo (RW), Gareth Bale (LW).
CB = center back; LB = left back; RB = right back; CM = central midfielder; CAM = attacking midfielder; CF = center forward; LW = left wing; RW = right wing
The current Real Madrid projected first-choice starting lineup, when completely healthy, currently looks like:
Real Madrid projected starting XI (4-3-3, left to right): Courtois (GK) — Mendy, Rudiger, Militao, Carvajal — Kroos, Casemiro, Modric — Vinicius, Benzema, Rodrygo.
