Real Madrid transfer news: Clear favourite emerges from Los Blancos' five

Real Madrid will reportedly prioritise the signing of a new central midfielder during this summer's transfer window.

Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Dani Ceballos are the first-team midfielders available to head coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

Two of those - Bellingham and Ceballos - are currently on the sidelines through injury, while Camavinga, Tchouameni and Guler have faced criticism for their recent form.

Ceballos is set to leave at the end of the campaign, and according to Defensa Central, signing a playmaker has become a priority for the Spanish giants.

The report claims that Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, Liverpool's Florian Wirtz, Atletico Madrid's Pablo Barrios and Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha are all admired.

Real Madrid 'determined' to sign a midfield playmaker this summer

However, it is incredibly difficult to imagine any of the four moving to Bernabeu, with Fernandez and Vitinha both having seriously high valuations, while Liverpool paid in the region of £116m to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

Atletico, meanwhile, will strongly resist any interest in Barrios from Real Madrid.

The final player on the club's shortlist is the most realistic signing for Los Blancos, with Kees Smit set to leave AZ Alkmaar during the summer market.

Smit, 20, is regarded as one of the best talents in world football, with Manchester United, Barcelona and Liverpool also thought to be among his admirers.

The midfielder has been a strong performer for AZ during the 2025-26 campaign, scoring four goals and registering five assists in 33 appearances in all competitions.

Real Madrid transfer news: Smit 'emerges' as leading target for Los Blancos

Smit has a contract with AZ until the summer of 2028, but he is expected to leave at the end of the season, with his Dutch club potentially asking for in excess of £50m.

The midfielder has three goals and two assists in 19 Eredivisie appearances this season, and there is a chance that he could break into the Netherlands squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Smit has six goals and seven assists in 64 appearances for AZ since breaking into the first team, and he has gained experience in both the Europa League and Conference League during his time in the senior set-up.

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