According to Anton Meana of Cadena SER, Real Madrid's main priority this summer is a top striker and they are ready to spend more than 100 million euros.
The club has not determined specific goals, but is actively researching the market. Madrid selected Gabriel Jesus last summer but were unable to sign him due to restrictions on non-EU berths.
It is unclear if Real Madrid's search for a striker has anything to do with Karim Benzema's future. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season and although he is expected to continue, the official announcement is still pending.
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Midfield is not the only area Liverpool need to tackle this summer and thanks in part to Chelsea's performance last summer, it will navigate a difficult market.
Several deals are reshaping the football transfer market, not just for elite clubs like Liverpool.
The biggest example, of course, is Paris Saint-Germain's record $241m (£197m/€222m) for Barcelona superstar Neymar in 2017.
This number, previously unimaginable, has broken the ceiling of the market. It pushed transfer fees to a new stratosphere and fundamentally changed the notion of a footballer's potential value. The consequences were felt throughout the game.
No other chord is as shocking, but there has been a series of moves that create new reference points for different positions.
For example, Chelsea recently took the central midfield market to the next level with the record-breaking $130m (£106m/€120m) Premier League signing of Enzo Fernández from Benfica, notably. is just six months after arriving in Europe for the first time.
As Liverpool prepare to revamp the division this summer, they will face new standards set by their English rivals.
But the Red Devils may also be looking to sign a new centre-back, with Joel Matip possibly up for sale when his contract expires in 2024 (via Goal) and Joe Gomez's performances in the 2022/23 season is still unconvincing. And Chelsea have also complicated their task in this area with a few taps.
The first was his $98m (£79m/€90m) offer for Joško Gvardiol last summer, a tempting proposition for a player who moved to RB Leipzig from Croatian team Dinamo Zagreb 12 months ago for just $21 million (£17 million/19 million euros). ). In just 29 appearances after the Bundesliga, Chelsea have paid a historic sum.
Liverpool are reportedly interested in Sporting's Gonçalo Inácio
Liverpool are reportedly interested in Sporting's Gonçalo Inácio
And then there was the deal he completed, the $87m (£71m/€80m) purchase of Wesley Fofana from Leicester City.
Fofana has established himself as one of the top talents in his position by winning Leicester's Young Player of the Year award in his first campaign on 20/21 and earning a place in the National Team. Leicester's men's world at IFFHS. But Chelsea have lost $87 million in just 35 appearances during his Premier League career, after seeing the Frenchman almost miss the entire 2021/22 season with a broken leg.
Fofana, who made just 20 appearances for Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1 before joining Leicester, unexpectedly became the fourth most expensive defender of all time.
It's worth noting that this isn't the only deal that has changed the game for the centre-back. Notably, Juventus paid even more ($93 million/£76 million/€86 million) for 19-year-old Matthijs de Ligt after his 2018/19 season with Ajax.
But these moves have, and almost, set a precedent – ??if a young defender performs at elite level even for a short time, he can now be legally worth between 80 million and 100 million. millions of dollars. Of course, Liverpool once set the record with a £92m (£75m/€85m) transfer for Virgil van Dijk, but that was completely different when the Dutchman was at his peak. form at the age of 26.
The most expensive midfielders in football history:
Level Name Year of enrollment remaining Age Tuition ($)
1 Harry Maguire Leicester Manchester United 2018 26 94m
2 Matthijs de Ligt Ajax Juventus 2019 19 93m
3 Virgil van Dijk Southampton Liverpool 2018 26 92m
4 Wesley Fofana Leicester Chelsea 2022 21 87m
5 Lucas Hernandez
Atlético Madrid
Bayern 2019 23 87m
6 Ruben Dias Benfica Manchester City 2020 23 78m
7 Achraf Hakimi Inter PSG 2021 22 74m
8 Matthijs de Ligt Juventus Bayern 2022 22 73m
9 Marc Cucurella Brighton Chelsea 2022 24 71m
10 Joao Cancelo Juventus Manchester City 2019 25 71m
All metrics via Transfermarkt
According to Goal's Neil Jones, one of the centre-backs Liverpool are keeping an eye on is Sporting's Gonçalo Inácio. The Reds might consider him below Gvardiol, a candidate they are unlikely to buy, on record but not too disparate in ability.
But now, Portuguese outlet O Jogo is reporting that Sporting is planning to tie Inácio to a new contract that will include $86m (£70m/€79m).
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