Features
Seven in, many out – Rating Real Madrid’s 2026 summer transfer window
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was full of activity, albeit not consistently throughout the break.
Their activity was top-heavy as they did most of the big hitting before the FIFA World Cup in June. They continued to keep tabs on targets beyond that, but the emphasis shifted to departures.
While the club did make multiple big name signings across the field to significantly bulk up the squad, they balanced them out with departures primarily from the academy.
Most of the team’s income arrived from youth player sales, totalling over €200 million.
In the end, the objective was always to build a team that can go on to challenge for all titles and prevent a third straight trophy less campaign.
Madrid Universal brings you the ratings of every Real Madrid transfer operation this summer.
Arrivals
Yan Diomande
Diomande arrives with a massive tag on his back – that of being the club’s most expensive signing in history, and it is clear that the pressure will be on him from the get-go.
While Michael Olise was the club’s top target for the right wing, they shifted focus to Diomande after it became clear that they could not sign the Frenchman.
The negotiations were long, and RB Leipzig eventually extracted a record sum of €140 million, including add-ons.
The teenage winger has impressed in training but is yet to come good in an official game. His pacey dribbling, good combination play and 1v1 skills make him the perfect candidate for a counter-attacking system, and he is thus tailor-made for Jose Mourinho’s system.
Transfer rating: 8
Marc Cucurella
Real Madrid’s premier Spanish signing ahead of La Roja’s FIFA World Cup campaign saw his stocks shoot up after the tournament as he delivered a campaign for the ages with the national team.
Cucurella’s arrival gives Real Madrid a serious lift at left-back as he is one of the best defensive full-backs around while also maintaining a consistent attacking output.
He will be the manager’s starting option on the left of defence and has already shown signs of great adaptation to the dynamics.
The club did shell out a significant fee of €55 million for his signing from Chelsea, but he appears to be one of the lower-risk incorporations.
Transfer rating: 9
Carlos Espi
Perhaps the biggest surprise signing of them all, Real Madrid completed the arrival of Espi in a matter of hours after leaks appeared, moving with real purpose and clarity.
The idea of bringing the player in was to replace the departing Gonzalo Garcia who has been the team’s backup striker in recent seasons.
However, Espi’s arrival throws doubts on where Endrick stands on the pecking order.
Espi, who was signed for €25 million, has begun the season strongly and even scored the winner for the club on Matchday 1 against Espanyol. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics change when Endrick is back in action.
Transfer rating: 8
Denzel Dumfries
Signing Dumfries with Trent Alexander-Arnold already in the squad was not a major surprise, considering that Real Madrid lost Dani Carvajal. But it was also an indication of how Mourinho has a clear liking for defensive full-backs.
The Dutchman, who arrived for €20 million from Inter Milan, brings precisely that to the table.
He may not be as potent in attack as Trent, but he is much more reliable on the defensive side and Mourinho even handed him the start in Real Madrid’s opening two league games.
He will be in a season-long battle with the England international for the starting spot, but that is a good problem for Mourinho to have.
Transfer rating: 8.5
Ibrahima Konate
The French centre-back arrived on a free transfer from Liverpool to add depth to Real Madrid’s defence, and has now fit in as a direct replacement for David Alaba.
Despite being a new signing, however, Konate is not guaranteed a starting spot and is in a fight with Antonio Rudiger to partner Dean Huijsen at the back. Eder Militao’s return could even push him into a background role soon.
On a free move, Konate’s arrival is a massive boost for Real Madrid. Yet, it is clear that the player has his limitations and that he may not be the elite starting centre-back the manager wanted.
Transfer rating: 8
Bernardo Silva
Silva’s transfer saga was one of the many tug-of-wars between Barcelona and Real Madrid this summer, but one where Los Blancos eventually came out on top.
Arriving at the Spanish capital club as a free agent, the Portuguese midfielder may not be able to play in the role he has traditionally excelled in because Jude Bellingham is a starter in that department.
Instead, Mourinho plans to use him as a pivot where he has not particularly lit up the field so far.
As an acquisition, Silva is a big name and could well come good. Stylistically and in terms of the profile he is being asked to cover, however, the output may not match the initial expectations.
Transfer rating: 7
Sergio Martinez
Martinez arrived close to deadline day in a relatively low-profile move from Racing Santander and will be registered with the Castilla side this season.
The 19-year-old starlet does, however, have the doors to the first-team wide open. He has already trained under Jose Mourinho and been included in the squad for the game vs Real Betis.
As a young and promising midfielder, he stands out with a profile that Real Madrid direly lacks.
He offers a creative and controlling presence, and his chance in the first team could well arrive very soon. His transfer for only €3 million could well be Real Madrid’s lowest investment that yields an unexpectedly high output.
Transfer rating: 7
Departures
Gonzalo Garcia
Gonzalo Garcia’s departure was an excellent piece of business for a backup player by Real Madrid as the club sold him to Fulham for a fee of €42 million.
While he has been a great asset for the club in recent years, Garcia’s departure has helped the club bring in financial benefits even after accounting for the signing of his replacement in Carlos Espi.
On a personal level, it is a great move for the player as he links up with Alvaro Arbeloa once again.
Transfer rating: 9
Fran Garcia
The left-back position was always marked as a critical department for a departure this summer, and the plan to sign Marc Cucurella made it all the more clear that at least one of the existing three left-backs must leave.
That exit, eventually, was Fran Garcia as he left the club for €4 million to join Real Betis in the summer. Real Madrid do, however, retain a 50% sell-on clause which could be handy in the future.
While the fee may not be significant, getting the player’s wages off the bill was critical for Real Madrid, especially given that there was a sheer overload of players for one starting spot.
Transfer rating: 8
David Alaba
Real Madrid opted against renewing the deal of David Alaba’s contract, bringing an end to the veteran defender’s chapter at the club at a good point.
Injuries have weighed heavily on the player in recent years, making him a liability to the club in a sporting and financial sense.
The decision not to renew his contract was made several months ago, and the club did not change their mind despite his handy performances towards the end of the season.
In all ways, it was a much-needed exit in the larger scheme.
Transfer rating: 8.5
Dani Carvajal
As was the case with Alaba, Real Madrid opted against renewing the deal of Dani Carvajal, bringing an end to the captain’s long bond with the club.
Carvajal’s departure marked the official end of Real Madrid’s previous generation at the club, and he leaves his department in the stable hands of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries.
There was talk of keeping the player for one more season to keep the dressing room under control, but the club eventually decided against such a move.
Transfer rating: 8.5
Dani Ceballos
Dani Ceballos has had a difficult time at Real Madrid in recent years and still has a contract in place until next summer. His lack of minutes and Mourinho’s stance of not counting on the player led to a complicated summer.
Eventually, the midfielder terminated his contract with Real Madrid, freeing the club of his wages, and went on to be a free agent. He signed for his boyhood club Real Betis on deadline day and will join Fran Garcia there.
The outcome is a positive one for Real Madrid as they managed to remove a piece of deadwood from Mourinho’s blueprint and also opened up a spot on the first-team roster.
Transfer rating: 9
Franco Mastantuono
One of the more shocking departures from Real Madrid this summer was that of Franco Mastantuono – the young Argentine prodigy who arrived on a big fee just last summer.
The 19-year-old starlet has left the club on a season-long loan to Fiorentina to get more playing minutes under his belt, but that decision also lays the basis for the claim that Mourinho does not count on him as a quality option.
While it is a good outcome for Real Madrid in terms of keeping the player’s development active, it is also a massive blow considering the fee they paid for him just last summer. The rationale of sending out such a highly rated talent on loan remains unclear.
Transfer rating: 6
Conclusion
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was everything fans expected and more after two trophyless seasons at the club.
Los Blancos did make four massive signings last summer, all of which largely disappointed. Many of the recently concluded window’s signings unsurprisingly address the same positions.
In terms of arrivals, the club will be proud of their window as they brought in serious match-winners in Bernardo Silva, Cucurella, Dumfries and Diomande.
They eventually fell short in two departments they hoped to reinforce and would have liked to add another starting centre-back and central midfielder. That, however, does not go to say that the existing options will not suffice.
Simultaneously, Real Madrid also pulled off a great transfer window in terms of departures as they got rid of some big-earning non-performers and made huge sales from the Castilla side.
They would have liked to sell a few more players like Eduardo Camavinga and Raul Asencio, but the players understandably stood by their contract.
Striking a good balance between incoming players and sales, Real Madrid will be largely proud of their efforts in the summer. They will be fiercely competitive now, and there are no more excuses for underperforming.
Overall transfer window rating: 8.5/10
Features
Clean sheet at last, Vinicius’ moment of madness | Three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal
Real Madrid took all three points against Villarreal on Saturday night to get back on track after the international break, and thus ensured they did not continue sinking after the defeat at the Madrid derby.
Jose Mourinho made some bold decisions in his starting XI as he benched Vinicius Jr., playing Yan Diomande on the left-flank and Arda Guler on the right flank.
The dynamics worked out decently well, and it was eventually the new record signing who scored for the club to hand them the lead and the win.
Compared to performances before the international break, there was an improvement in terms of Real Madrid’s level, but the team are still far off from where they must be to make a strong case to be title contenders.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal.
The struggle continues
All of Real Madrid’s season so far has been of struggles and difficult wins, and the same theme continued last night as the team returned from the international break.
Los Blancos have failed to look convincing for a long time now, and they did not dominate Villarreal in any capacity last night as well.
Continuing with the same theme of winning by narrow margins and scraping past the finish line, they registered yet another 1-0 win that did not leave anyone convinced.
Yan Diomande’s goal was the only positive takeaway from the night, and even that was made possible only after a narrow offside decision went in their favor. With the firepower they have, struggling to create chances to such an extent seems inexcusable.
With a difficult month ahead, last night’s game did not give fans any reason to believe matters have changed after the international break. At this rate, the coming month could be a bleak one for Los Blancos.
Vinicius’ moment of madness
Of all the events that transpired at the Santiago Bernabeu last night, the most memorable one was the incident involving Vinicius Jr.’s goal, and embarrassingly so.
Having seemingly scored a great goal ten minutes after Diomande’s opener, the Brazilian star was on his way to celebrate the achievement, but what unfolded thereafter was embarrassing.
The VAR found an incident of Vinicius pulling the hair of a Villarreal player for no apparent reason in the build-up to the goal, and at this point there can be no arguments defending the player’s behavior.
As one of the biggest names of one of Europe’s biggest clubs, there has to be a sense of responsibility in one’s role – something Vinicius simply does not seem to have. What he did last night was simply inexcusable.
A lot can be said about VAR’s selective interference, but what cannot be argued is that what Vinicius did last night was a clear red card offense.
He will now miss El Clasico and will serve at least a two-game suspension. Whether that is a boon or a bane for Real Madrid, at this point, remains unknown and only time will tell.
A clean sheet at last
Ahead of last night’s win over Villarreal, Real Madrid had only overseen one clean sheet in eight games across competitions.
In that sense, simply keeping the opposition from scoring last night was an achievement in itself for Los Blancos, and it could not have come at a better time.
Real Madrid entered the game without many of their regular defenders available, especially with Dean Huijsen suspended and Eder Militao and Raul Asencio out through injury.
Ibrahima Konate and Antonio Rudiger, thus, started in central defense on the night and both did phenomenally well for Los Blancos. They were joined by Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both of whom complemented the duo well.
The right-back was a relatively weak link defensively, but Konate and Rudiger were spot-on with their reading of the game to keep the Villarreal attack from scoring. They both did eventually pick up yellow cards, but Villarreal finished the game without a single big chance created.
Finding defensive stability, which is the cornerstone of Mourinho’s project, is massive for the manager, and he will be pleased to have a new working formula.
What happens after Huijsen’s return, however, remains to be seen, as the manager may well like to hand the new duo some more chances to prove their consistency.
