Real Madrid have settled on a consistent approach in the transfer market over the past five years, and one that has been working for them for the most part. However their strategy has come into question after missing out on two major deals.
Los Blancos made a conscious decision in recent years that whatever big spending they did would be used on young talents with plenty of room to improve, with the likes of Eder Militao, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all falling under that umbrella. Similarly, when it came to veteran players, not only are they no longer offering contracts longer than a year to those over thirty, but older players are only signed on free transfers.
Within that idea, Real Madrid have again sought to do business differently. While most clubs adhere to negotiating with agents, eventually reaching an agreement between the demand and the offer, with Los Blancos, only the offer has existed. Their idea is to convince the player to join, and then make what they believe to be a fair offer, reaching a limit that they will not go beyond, regardless of what other clubs are putting on the table.
That was on show in the summer, when Real Madrid refused to raise their offer for Leny Yoro, convinced that with the player’s preference and his contract situation, Lille would cede ground. Yet Manchester United swooped in to pay over the odds, and Yoro accepted their offer.
With Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich look set to sign him to a new deal, despite reaching a verbal agreement with Los Blancos back in March of 2024. Relevo say Real Madrid again made it clear they would not get involved in a bidding war, and after a meeting last Friday where Davies rejected Bayern’s offer, a deal was struck in a second meeting between the two.
Despite missing out on both, Real Madrid accept that this is a risk of their approach, and have no intention of changing it. They believe that the players who really want to play for the club will do so, and the case of Trent Alexander-Arnold is cited as the prime example.
