‘Biggest in History’—Florentino Perez Reveals Record Real Madrid Bid for ‘New Galactico’
The Real Madrid presidential elections added yet another twist on Thursday, with Florentino Pérez going on the record saying he’s prepared to make the biggest transfer in club history, splashing $174 (€150 million) for the latest “Galáctico” signing of his time at the club.
A day after fellow presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme’s claim that Erling Haaland was joining Real Madrid backfired spectacularly, Pérez took the opportunity to make a promise of his own. In an appearance on Spanish TV show Horizonte, Pérez made a bold revelation.
“On Tuesday,” Pérez started. “I’m going to make an offer to an important Champions League club for a great player that would be the largest amount of money that Real Madrid have paid for a transfer in all of their history.
"Yes, €150 million at the very least.”
That fee would easily surpass the club’s two most expensive transfers in Eden Hazard and Jude Bellingham, but, who is Pérez going to break the bank for?
Real Madrid’s Potential Targets
PSG midfielders João Neves (left) and Vitinha could be worth a major investment. / Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
As soon as Pérez made made his claim, the obvious response was to try to figure out which player merits becoming Real Madrid’s record signing. Still, the presidential favorite refused to reveal who his monumental bid will be for, but he did offer a few hints.
Michael Olise and Jérémy Doku were quickly discarded by Pérez, who revealed the player in question would be “a midfielder or a forward.” He also made sure to say he wasn’t talking about Haaland, before firing another shot at Riquelme.
“It’s not Haaland,” Pérez said. “And also, the first thing we would do is speak to the club. We wouldn’t do what this man [Riquelme] did, speaking with Haaland first and then Haaland’s father and his agent come out to say it’s a lie, Manchester City say it’s a lie. How can you reveal a name when you haven’t talked to anyone?”
But the focus quickly shifted back to figuring out who Pérez’s ambitious transfer target is. He then gave the biggest hint of them all, saying the player “doesn’t play in the Premier League.”
Real Madrid supporters quickly theorized that the duo of Paris Saint-Germain midfielders, João Neves and Vitinha, meet the criteria laid out by Pérez. Furthermore, adding an elite midfield reinforcement is high on Los Blancos’ agenda, and the pair of Portugal internationals would be exactly that.
Things will seemingly become clearer next Tuesday, when Pérez forecasted Real Madrid’s record bid would be submitted. For now, though, there are three arrivals he was happy to confirm.
Florentino Perez Confirms Real Madrid’s First Summer Moves
Jose Mourinho (right) has always kept a good relationship with Florentino Pérez. / Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
What Pérez had no trouble revealing with his usual confidence and authority was the arrival of Jose Mourinho for his second stint as Real Madrid manager. On the same day Benfica confirmed Los Blancos will trigger The Special One’s $17.4 million (€15 million) release clause, Pérez declared himself excited about the manager’s return.
“He’s a manager we know and he taught us enormous competitiveness,” Pérez said. “After he left, we won six Champions Leagues, a fruit of that competitiveness that he gave us. And now we think he can once again be that positive stimulus. He’s very excited and we are as well.”
Pérez went on to confirm Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries as Real Madrid’s first two reinforcements ahead of 2026–27, which is why his planned record signing isn’t a defender.
With deals in place for a new manager, and two new defenders already reportedly in place, Pérez is turning his attention to acquire a new Galáctico of “Cristiano Ronaldo’s dimension—but not Ronaldo.”
Despite not sharing the identity of the player he’s willing to make Real Madrid’s most expensive signing ever, Pérez made sure to repeat a sentence that’s seemingly become his slogan in recent years.
“As long as I continue being Real Madrid’s president, the best players in the world will play here.”
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