Mourinho's report to Real: stars wanted in 3 areas

In Spain, José Mourinho, who has taken charge at Real Madrid, has made a clear request to the board to reshape the squad according to his football philosophy. The Portuguese coach asked for reinforcements in three different areas, centre-back, midfield and right wing, and identified his priority targets for each position.

The centre of defence is one of the areas Mourinho sees as most urgent. Tottenham's Cristian Romero tops the list for centre-back, with experienced names such as Manchester City's Rúben Dias also in the picture. In midfield, Mourinho is looking for a creative player who can control the ball and raise the tempo when building out from the back. To that end, candidates such as Chelsea's Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, the surprise name Sandro Tonali, West Ham's Mateus Fernandes and Lille's young talent Ayyoub Bouaddi are being weighed.

The third request is a dynamic right winger who can balance the attacking weight and gain space with pure pace. Franco Mastantuono's departure on loan and Brahim Díaz's likely absence created the need in this area. Real Madrid are reported to be considering names such as Iliman Ndiaye, Maghnes Akliouche and Karim Adeyemi for the position.

Mourinho's requests are part of a wholesale rebuild launched after the failures of recent seasons. Madrid have already added the likes of Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konaté this summer, with Denzel Dumfries' move expected to be made official soon. These moves show that Mourinho is building a squad focused on "winning now" rather than the future; indeed, the average age of this summer's arrivals has risen markedly compared with the previous one.

As much as the incomings, the players Mourinho wants to move on will be a crucial part of this process. Signing five or even six players looks set to bring a similar number of exits. Known for his experience and ability to assert authority on the pitch, Mourinho has rolled up his sleeves to reset the dressing-room balance and carry Madrid back to the top in both LaLiga and Europe. The coming weeks are set to be busy in the capital in line with these transfer requests.

Source: The Athletic
Image: Transfermarkt