Xabi Alonso has his eye on two Premier League midfielders as Real Madrid ‘open the door’ to a double swoop which would cost Los Blancos £142m.
Madrid have spent around £150m so far this summer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono and Alvaro Carreras all arriving to bolster the squad ahead of Alonso’s first season at the helm.
The former Bayer Leverkusen manager is thought to be keen on adding a target man to his ranks in the mould of ex-Madrid striker Joselu, but is also after a new midfielder who can dictate play from the base of midfield, as he used to do in his time at the Bernabeu.
They’ve been linked with Manchester City’s Rodri, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández and Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister, but there’s said to be ‘reluctance’ from president Florentino Perez to make such a ‘galactic’ signing this summer, with the Madrid boss ‘opening the door to a planned signing with pause and measure’.
Central defense don’t explicitly say that means the La Liga giants are happy to wait until next year to sign a new defensive midfielder, but that’s the implication.
And Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo is said to be one of two Premier League players Alonso ‘wants’ amid a ‘change in focus’ to ‘alternatives more focused on the future’.
After a report last week claimed Tottenham had ‘made contact’ with United over a possible move for Mainoo – who was previously valued at £70m by the Red Devils, but is now thought to be available for just £42m – manager Ruben Amorim warned the academy graduate that he won’t be a guaranteed starter next season unless he increases his tempo of play.
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Amorim said: “I think he can play in both positions (No 6 and No 10) in the midfield. Last year, he played more in front.
“His perfect position is more near the ball, always with the ball. He’s a big talent, and you guys know better than me that he is a big talent. He needs to increase the rhythm, the pace. I’m always on top of that with Kobbie because he is so good sometimes, but he can be better.
“So I have big plans but, like I said, it’s one game per week and the competition is going to be huge. Everybody has to be prepared to play one game, or play all the games, that is a key point in our season.”
The Spanish outlet also names Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton as another midfielder Alonso is a big admirer of.
It was claimed last month that Wharton is ‘ready to wait’ for Liverpool to come calling next summer amid interest from Tottenham, with Palace currently not willing to listen to offers for their £100m man with the futures of both Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi in doubt.
The report adds:
‘Both players are old acquaintances of the Madrid skimmers. The scouting team that responds to Juni Calafat has always maintained a follow-up of promising young people in the Premier League, where the names of the Crystal Palace midfielder and the Manchester United midfielder, respectively, always stood out.
‘In England, as we have been able to see from Central Defense, they understand that Real Madrid is looking for an incorporation for the near future. The progression of Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo is brilliant, but they have not yet stood out enough to integrate into the orbit of the football elite of the Old Continent. That is why the follow-up carried out to date will be intensified under the orders of Xabi Alonso.’
