Real Madrid lost Toni Kroos this summer after the German midfielder retired, and it appears just four months later, they have decided he does need replacing. Nobody was signed to take over from Kroos, with Los Blancos hoping Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni could take over from him.
However signing a central midfielder who can build from deep is now one of their priorities for the summer of 2025, with Los Blancos regarding Florian Wirtz as a creator to play further forward. According to Diario AS, the player they have in mind is someone like Vitinha at Paris Saint-Germain.
The 24-year-old Portuguese has a deal until 2027, and getting him out of PSG is considered too expensive. The fact that Jorge Mendes is his agent, with whom relations have soured, is also thought of as an obstacle. A ‘brain’ to organise their midfield is the idea though.
While Tchouameni, Valverde and Camavinga all have attributes in their own right, none have ever controlled the tempo of games in the same manner that Kroos has. Indeed, in that regard, there are few in the game that can. So far they have been linked with Rodri Hernandez at Manchester City, as well as his Spain teammates Martin Zubimendi and Fabian Ruiz.
Image via PSG
