Four Real Madrid alternatives to Toni Kroos

Robin Bairner

24 Sep 2022 06:54 CDT
3 min read

Toni Kroos is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season – if not before.

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The Germany international is in the middle of his final year on his contract and the indications are that he will not renew it.

Meanwhile, there have been suggestions in Spain that he could be a shock January transfer target for Manchester City, although the prospect of Madrid electing to sell the midfielder to one of their greatest rivals for the Champions League at the mid-point of the season appears to be unlikely.

Nevertheless, Los Blancos will be planning for the future without the 32-year-old and according to reports have a four-man shortlist they have drawn up that they are set to turn to in the months ahead.

Real Madrid's transfer shortlist

At the head of this list is Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, the 19-year-old England international who carries a valuation of €74 million according to FootballTransfers but is likely to move for far more than that figure because of the sheer weight on interest from some of the most financially powerful clubs in the game. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are among the teams who want to sign him.

If Bellingham is considered to be a difficult target to pin down, Madrid are also monitoring Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella, Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle and Joao Gomes of Flamengo. Of this trio, it is Gomes that Madrid see as the likeliest signing, although they face competition from Liverpool and Manchester United in this case.

Los Blancos, though, can show the young Brazilian the cases of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, who have both been integrated into their first team successfully after arriving from their homeland. Reinier, meanwhile, remains a player that Madrid have high hopes for

Kroos may be on his way out of Real Madrid, but strong alternatives are there for one of the club’s greatest servants in recent times.