Real Madrid News
Real Madrid already planning reinforcements for two key positions in 2027 – Romano
Despite spending a fortune in the transfer market this summer, Real Madrid are looking far from competitive, especially when it comes to keeping up with Barcelona.
There are still several weak points the club are yet to fix and that is why Los Blancos are already looking towards the season ahead.
The board is expected to continue the spending spree in the summer of 2027, with Fabrizio Romano (h/t Apuesta) revealing two areas they could reinforce.
Signing a top defender
The Italian journalist suggests Real Madrid’s primary objective will be to sign a top defender this season. A centre-back, in particular, is the need of the hour at Real Madrid.
Although the club brought in Ibrahima Konate, they also lost David Alaba while Raul Asencio is no longer considered a viable first-team option.
To add to it, Eder MIlitao’s fitness woes have continued, with the Brazilian yet to feature this season while Antonio Rudiger could be playing his final season at the club.
This accentuates the need for a new top-class centre-back, which is what Real Madrid will be focusing on next season.
The club have been linked with moves for Alessandro Bastoni and Nico Schlotterbeck, and it won’t be surprising to see them being back on Real Madrid’s radar for the summer of 2027.
Fixing the midfield issue
Another area Real Madrid could look at is the midfield department, with the club still yet to replace the duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
The team has some proven options in Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, but they haven’t been able to really click or work together in the middle of the park.
Real Madrid require someone who can orchestrate things better. And having missed out on Rodri to Barcelona in the summer, they won’t make the same mistake in the summer of 2027.
Romano hasn’t exactly spelled out who Real Madrid could target next summer, but there could be multiple options, including past targets such as Kees Smit and Adam Wharton.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
