Real Madrid News
Mourinho asks Real Madrid to sign three more players including Chelsea superstar – report
Real Madrid have already been very active in the transfer market, securing four signings: Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella.
In terms of exits, they have not managed to do much so far, with Dani Ceballos the only one to have reached an agreement to leave the club.
This has resulted in an overcrowded first-team squad that needs pruning ahead of the new season, and also to make space for new arrivals.
According to Defensa Central, Real Madrid’s next moves in the market will depend heavily on departures, with Jose Mourinho still wanting three more profiles to complete his ideal squad.
The Portuguese manager would like another centre-back, a midfielder and a penalty-box striker, but the club’s priority for now is to reduce the squad before adding more players.
The names linked to Mourinho’s ideal plan are Alessandro Bastoni, Enzo Fernandez and a veteran striker in the mould of Joselu.
Bastoni and Enzo depend on exits
In defence, Bastoni is described as a preferred option if Raul Asencio leaves. Jose already has Konate, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao.
However, both Militao and Rudiger have had their fair share of physical issues in recent times, and signing someone like Bastoni would raise the ceiling of the position.
Asencio is not part of Mourinho’s plans, but if he refuses to leave, Madrid would keep him as the fifth centre-back rather than force another signing.
In midfield, Enzo Fernandez is presented as Mourinho’s number one request. However, to sign the Chelsea midfielder, Madrid would need a major exit, such as Eduardo Camavinga or Aurelien Tchouameni.
That would be a huge decision. Enzo would bring passing range, aggression and World Cup-level experience, but sacrificing Camavinga or Tchouameni would not be an easy call.
A Joselu-type profile on the cards
The third idea is the least advanced, but perhaps the most Mourinho-like: a tall, experienced striker who can decide closed matches.
That explains why Gonzalo Garcia’s exit has been paused. Mourinho wants to evaluate him, especially because Madrid are not currently pushing hard for a classic number nine.
Still, the logic of a Joselu-type signing is clear. Having such a profile is always valuable in games where the star power cannot get the job done.
This is where Mourinho’s thinking feels practical. He is not only looking for names. He is looking for the right profiles.
It feels like the summer is not finished for Madrid, and it remains to be seen whether sales allow Jose to build his ideal squad ahead of next season.
Real Madrid and Inter Milan are two clubs where history carries an unusual amount of weight.
The white shirt of Real Madrid and the famous black-and-blue stripes of Inter have been worn by some of football’s greatest players, with both clubs demanding not only talent but the ability to handle enormous expectations.
Moving between the two is therefore no ordinary career decision.
The clubs operate in different football cultures, compete in different domestic environments and have their own tactical traditions, but the pressure attached to representing either institution is remarkably similar.
Despite that, a select group of players have experienced both worlds.
Some arrived at Real Madrid after making their name in Italy, while another made his reputation in Madrid before becoming a key figure in one of Inter’s greatest teams.
On that note, here are three footballers you might have forgotten who represented both Real Madrid and Inter Milan during their careers.
Roberto Carlos: From Inter disappointment to Real Madrid legend
Few players are as synonymous with Real Madrid as Roberto Carlos.
The Brazilian left-back became a cult hero at the Santiago Bernabeu, but his European journey took him to Italy before Madrid. In 1995, he joined Inter Milan and spent one season with the Nerazzurri.
It was a productive campaign on an individual level. Roberto Carlos made 34 appearances and scored seven goals, which is an extraordinary return for a defender and an early indication of the attacking qualities that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable full-backs in football.
His time in Milan, though, lasted only a season.
Real Madrid moved to sign him, and the transfer proved to be one of the most important pieces of business in the club’s modern history.
Roberto Carlos would spend 11 seasons in the Spanish capital and establish himself as one of the defining players of his generation.
Across his Madrid career, he made 584 appearances in all competitions and scored 71 goals.
During his time, the Brazilian won four La Liga titles and was part of the team that reached three Champions League finals in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Madrid won all three.
The 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen produced one of the defining moments of that era.
Roberto Carlos delivered the cross that Zinedine Zidane spectacularly converted for the winning goal, securing another European crown for Madrid.
Fabio Cannavaro: A Ballon d’Or winner in Madrid
Fabio Cannavaro’s connection with both clubs is perhaps less widely remembered, particularly because the Italian defender’s reputation is strongly associated with his homeland and Real Madrid.
Cannavaro developed through Napoli and Parma before earning a move to Inter Milan in 2002.
The Nerazzurri reportedly paid around €23 million for the centre-back, handing him a four-year contract.
His start at Inter was encouraging, but the relationship eventually became complicated.
Cannavaro left the club in 2004 and joined Juventus, where he spent two seasons before another major move changed the course of his career.
In 2006, Real Madrid signed him from Juventus for a reported €7 million.
That same year, he captained Italy to World Cup glory and produced a series of outstanding performances during the tournament.
His achievements were recognised on an individual level too, as he won the 2006 Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Cannavaro spent three seasons at Real Madrid and added domestic success to his already extraordinary year.
He won La Liga in both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, becoming an important defensive figure during Madrid’s successful campaigns.
His Inter career never reached the same heights, and Cannavaro himself has spoken critically about aspects of his experience there.
But his journey from Inter to Juventus and eventually Real Madrid produced one of the most decorated defensive careers of his generation.
Esteban Cambiasso: Madrid academy product turned Inter great
Esteban Cambiasso’s story is arguably the most interesting of the three because, unlike Roberto Carlos and Cannavaro, he began his connection with Real Madrid at youth level.
The Argentine midfielder joined Madrid’s academy at a young age alongside his brother Nicolas.
After returning to Argentina to gain regular first-team football with Independiente and River Plate, Cambiasso eventually returned to Madrid.
He became part of the first-team setup in 2002 and enjoyed a trophy-winning spell with the club.
Cambiasso won La Liga, the Intercontinental Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup during his time in Madrid.
Yet his stay in the Spanish capital ultimately came to an end when his contract expired in 2004 and the club decided against renewing it.
That decision opened the door to Inter, where he truly established himself as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.
He spent a decade with the Nerazzurri, becoming an important figure in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
Cambiasso won five league titles during his time at Inter and became particularly important in Jose Mourinho’s side.
In the 2009-10 season, Cambiaso’s Inter won the Champions League by defeating Bayern Munich in the final, completing a historic treble.
