Real Madrid does not change or fail

The defeat to Barcelona was a stern warning, but also a motivation for Real Madrid to change.

With the risk of empty-handedness in the three main arenas of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League increasingly evident, the team's leadership, headed by President Florentino Perez, is facing great pressure to restructure the squad. Marca revealed that the summer of 2025 is predicted to be one of the most exciting transfer periods in Real Madrid's history, with a focus on strengthening the defense and midfield. The arrival of coach Xabi Alonso promises to create a radical change in Real's squad.

Current situation

The 2024/25 season saw Real Madrid fall into serious decline, especially after heavy defeats against Barcelona: 0-4 in the first leg of La Liga (October 26, 2024), 2-5 in the Spanish Super Cup (January 12, 2025), 2-3 in the final of the King's Cup (April 26, 2025), and most recently 3-4 in the second leg of La Liga.

In total, Barcelona scored 16 goals against Real Madrid in four games, a sad record for “Los Blancos”. The team’s defense, once a mainstay under Carlo Ancelotti, has become a fatal weakness.

David Alaba, after 13 months out with a cruciate ligament injury, has been having recurring injuries and is no longer at his peak. Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy are also constantly injured, while Jesus Vallejo is not good enough to start.

Only Antonio Rudiger has maintained a consistent form, but he alone cannot make up for the gap. The German centre-back even had disciplinary problems, after threatening the referee in the King's Cup final.

On the right, Dani Carvajal, although confident of returning for the FIFA Club World Cup, still needs time to regain his form after seven months out. With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real can rest assured in this position.

Midfield is also a concern. Despite having the likes of Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga, Real Madrid lack a creative midfielder to link the attack and defence. Bellingham, according to The Guardian , is often forced to drop deep to receive the ball, which reduces the attacking effectiveness.

Real Madrid must prepare for big deals, in order to build a squad strong enough to compete with Barcelona.

Failure to sign a midfielder in the summer of 2024 has left the team overly reliant on the individual brilliance of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior up front.

Perez change or stubborn?

President Florentino Perez, who built the famous “Galacticos” era, has in recent years favored a strategy of recruiting stars on free transfers to save costs. Kylian Mbappe, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger all arrived at the Bernabeu without paying a transfer fee.

However, this policy has shown its limitations when Real Madrid missed the opportunity to add quality central defenders such as Leny Yoro, who joined Manchester United in the summer of 2024. The recent defeat in the Clasico has sparked criticism that Perez is too confident in the current squad, leading to a serious imbalance.

Real Madrid are set for a big summer transfer window with plenty of changes both on and off the pitch. Carlo Ancelotti is set to leave the club at the end of the season, with Xabi Alonso taking his place.

Alonso, if he arrives, would bring a modern football philosophy that requires more depth to compete with Hansi Flick's Barcelona. With the exception of Alexander-Arnold arriving on a free this summer, it will be difficult for Real to recruit suitable targets at a cheap price.

The world's top players are currently tied down to long-term contracts by their clubs. William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate, Florian Wirtz and Haaland are unlikely to leave for cheap at this time.

If he wants to recruit top players, Perez needs to use the trick he has been familiar with in the past: That is, spending large amounts of money on transfer fees and salaries to convince partners.

It is worth remembering that Real also missed out on a key target, Alphonso Davies, because they were unwilling to spend a lot of money. This needs to change if Real want to maintain their position as the strongest club in the world.

The 2025 summer transfer window is an opportunity for Real Madrid to correct the mistakes of this season. However, everything still depends on Perez's vision. Will this experienced businessman recreate an explosive summer transfer like in the past?