Three Signings Real Madrid Must Make After Denzel Dumfries Transfer
Only a formal announcement is missing before Inter star Denzel Dumfries officially joins Real Madrid as the team’s first major move of the summer after a tumultuous season.
The 15-time European champions became nothing more than a circus to close out 2025–26, making headlines for their poor performances, locker room confrontations and unexpected presidential election. All the while, the club was pursuing José Mourinho as Álvaro Arbeloa’s successor, a reunion Florentino Pérez recently confirmed as long as he wins his re-election bid.
It’s no secret Real Madrid need more than just a new manager to right what has become a sinking ship at the Bernabéu. New faces are necessary to make the club worthy of Spanish and European silverware again, and Dumfries is leading the charge.
The Spanish giants already reportedly triggered the fullback’s $23.2 million (€20 million) release clause, bringing him into the fold to replace the hole left by the recently departed Dani Carvajal.
There are more moves to be made, though, to get Real Madrid back to the mountaintop. Here are three players the club should turn to next now that Dumfries’s signature is secured.
Ibrahima Konaté
Ibrahima Konaté is poised for a move to Spain. / Liverpool FC/Getty Images
Plenty of Real Madrid fans have mixed feelings about the seemingly imminent arrival of Ibrahima Konaté. The Frenchman saw his stock drastically decrease after an underwhelming 2025–26 campaign for Liverpool, for which his former boss Arne Slot even publicly called him out.
Yet Konaté comes with a certain allure that goes beyond his status as a free agent, though that plays a role as well. The transfer would reunite the 27-year-old with his former Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, reviving the partnership that won five trophies together, including the Reds’ 2024–25 Premier League title.
Konaté knows exactly what it takes to cover the gaps Alexander-Arnold leaves behind when he pushes forward, adding a stability to Real Madrid’s backline that was missing last season. He also brings a physicality to central defense that Éder Militão and Dean Huijsen lack.
Considering he would come to the Bernabéu without costing the club a transfer fee, locking down a defender of Konaté’s caliber is next on Los Blancos’ to-do list. Recent reports claim the deal will be finalized in the coming days.
Rodri
Rodri could leave Man City this summer. / Visionhaus/Getty Images
Atop Real Madrid’s transfer priorities this summer sits the need for a deep-lying playmaker. The club bid farewell to Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić in back-to-back seasons and failed to bring in a player to replace either legend.
Enter Rodri. The Spain international hinted at a potential move back home during the March international break and continues to only provide cryptic updates about his future. An exit from Manchester City is a high probability, especially if Real Madrid come knocking with a serious offer.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner would fill the hole in Los Blancos’ midfield rather seamlessly. From his clinical passing and positioning to his intelligence and defensive prowess, Rodri is a maestro worthy of replacing Kroos.
The 29-year-old comes with risks, though. Rodri is injury prone, turning 30 this summer and not at the level he was prior to his ACL injury. Still, his price tag will be considerably lower than the record $161.2 million (£120 million) Chelsea want for Enzo Fernández.
Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella flirted with a potential transfer last month. / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
If recent speculation is any indication, Marc Cucurella is heading toward a Chelsea exit. The Spaniard previously took aim at the club during a trying season at Stamford Bridge and openly flirted with a potential transfer.
Cucurella was largely linked with Barcelona, but reports have now swung across the Clásico divide to Real Madrid. The Spanish giants are in the market for a left back, and why not go for one of the best in the world?
After all, the injury-prone Ferland Mendy is set for another lengthy layoff, leaving Fran García and Álvaro Carreras as Mourinho’s available left backs. García is potentially on his way out of Bernabéu anyway, in search of more minutes, while Carreras’s steep decline in form makes him an untrustworthy starter on the left flank.
Cucurella would undoubtedly slot right into the XI and get the chance to play Champions League soccer next season, something Chelsea will miss out on after finishing 10th in the Premier League.
Should Cucurella be too ambitious an acquisition, though, Real Madrid could turn their attention to Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori or even Manchester City’s Joško Gvardiol, two players on the team’s radar, per Fabrizio Romano.
