Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will target six bargain buys next year, including Manchester United duo David De Gea and Anthony Martial.
According to Don Balon, the Los Blancos chief has drawn up a six-man list containing players that the club can acquire on a free or for a cut-price in 2019, as he hopes to reinforce Santiago Solari’s current squad.
French midfielder Adrien Rabiot makes the final cut, with his contract at Paris Saint Germain set to expire at the end of the season, however, Madrid may face stiff competition for his signature from Barcelona.
The second central midfielder on the list is Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, who is also out of contract at the end of the season after talks over an extension on his current deal at the Emirates broke down recently. Bayern Munich and Juventus have already tabled offers for the Welshman but he could fit in nicely at the Santiago Bernabeu, with his creative style being a perfect fit for Solari’s attack-minded side.
Perez is also lining up a raid on Manchester United, with David De Gea and Anthony Martial stalling on contract talks at Old Trafford after the team’s poor start to the 2018-19 season, as per Don Balon.
Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen and Chelsea’s David Luiz complete the list, both of whom could be brought in on a free next summer or even purchased for a reduced fee in the January window.
This ambitious plan could completely overhaul the current Madrid squad from top to bottom, though it is unlikely that any of these particular changes will happen before the end of the current season.
A lot could change between now and then but there is absolutely no doubt that the six players in question will remain in the spotlight, with a number of top European clubs set for bidding wars to secure their signatures.
Manchester United fans, in particular, will hope that De Gea and Martial end up committing their long-term futures to the club, as manager Jose Mourinho continues to try and steer the team back in the right direction with a huge second half of the season on the horizon.
