As the Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus transfer speculation hots up, here’s a look at five big names who could be ideal to replace him at Real Madrid.
Now, it is of course quite likely that Los Blancos will never *truly* replace a player who looks set to leave the club having scored more goals than he’s played games for them in nine years on their books.
Quite simply, the Portugal international is guaranteed to go down as one of the greatest players of all time, having smashed record after record since he moved to the Bernabeu from Manchester United.
Still, there are world class attacking players out there who could go some way to repairing the damage left by Ronaldo’s potential departure, as is being reported by Sport and numerous others.
Here’s our pick of the ideal targets Madrid should look at if Ronaldo does end up moving on…
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Perhaps the player looking most likely to come anywhere close to doing what Ronaldo has done in the last decade, Mohamed Salah seems absolutely ideal for Real Madrid.
However, with the Liverpool forward recently signing a new long-term contract, this is probably unlikely. Then again, this is Real Madrid we’re talking about, and a Real Madrid even more desperate than usual.
With Salah scoring 44 goals in all competitions last season from out wide, the Egypt international could now be a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or and become the next great goal-scoring winger in the game.
Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Perhaps more realistic would be Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, even if he’s not exactly the same style of player.
The Belgium international seems to want out of Stamford Bridge after recent reports from Marca that his father offered him to Real Madrid before the Champions League final.
While another signing would likely be needed on top of this, Hazard’s creativity, skill and goal threat from out wide would certainly be a decent way to start replacing Ronaldo on that left-hand side of the front three.
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
More of an out and out centre-forward than Ronaldo, Harry Kane is another player who, like Salah, perhaps looks the closest thing to the Portuguese right now.
The England international is undoubtedly one of the best finishers in world football after a superb record of 175 career goals scored before he’s even hit the age of 25.
Kane netted 41 in 48 games in all competitions last season and has that confidence and ruthless touch to make him ideal alongside someone like Hazard in a new-look Real front line next season.
Neymar (PSG)
One of the biggest names and brands in world football, Neymar seems the ideal Galactico figure that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez likes to have at his club.
The Brazil international only joined PSG last summer, however, so could prove a tricky purchase, and a controversial one as well due to his Barcelona connections.
Still, in terms of skill and goal threat, Neymar would be another ideal candidate to fill the void left by Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
A young player who looks set to be a star of the world game for many years to come, Kylian Mbappe has shown himself to be the real deal in the last couple of years.
After his remarkable rise at Monaco, Mbappe moved to PSG last summer and would now be the perfect long-term replacement for Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
This would no doubt be another ambitious deal, but there may be few better than the France international to give Madrid fans genuine optimism that they could ever land a player good enough to achieve what Ronaldo has in the Spanish capital.