New coach Rafael Benitez has said Real Madrid will be bringing in more reinforcements this summer, but has not divulged who they might be or which players might be on their way out.
Real have already drafted in Brazilian pair Danilo and Casemiro from Porto this month – the latter returning from a loan spell – and in his first interview since his unveiling, Benitez says more additions are on the way.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is somebody who has been heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu, but Benitez is keeping specifics to a minimum about the club’s activities in the transfer market.
“Of course there will be,” Benitez told his club’s official website, when asked about new arrivals.
“Danilo and Casemiro, for example, are players that will be very important and the club works every day to try to increase the level of this team with other signings that will help us face the challenges that await us. But let me just say that to improve the current Real Madrid side is enormously difficult.”
De Gea’s contract with United runs out next year and the 24-year-old former Atletico No1 is being touted as a long-term replacement for veteran Iker Casillas at Real.
A recent development in that story has seen speculation that United could try and sign Real defender Sergio Ramos as part of the deal, with the Spain international’s current deal expiring in June 2017.
Benitez, who is currently staying at his family home in Liverpool, has spoken to all of his players – including Ramos and Casillas – but has not made public anything about what their futures might hold.
He added: “My technical team and I have been following and been in contact with the players. I have to say that first of all, the predisposition to work that all of them, Sergio, Iker, Cristiano (Ronaldo), (Gareth) Bale, Pepe, (Raphael) Varane… have shown me has been excellent.
“The first thing I’ve done is to listen, to know what went well and what went badly last year, to see what they thought could be improved and how they would like things to be done.
“Once we are all together, we will decide what is the best for the club and what is the best for each of them.”
