CORNERFLICK
José Mourinho has taken a bigger role in Real Madrid's summer transfer plans, with ESPN reporting that Enzo Fernández and Rúben Dias are now the club's main targets.
The change was shaped at a meeting on 9 June at the Santo Mauro Hotel in Madrid, where Mourinho discussed the rebuild with José Ángel Sánchez, Juni Calafat and Jorge Mendes. The report says the Portuguese coach now has a much stronger say in identifying targets, rather than acting only as an adviser.
Real's recent business points in the same direction. The club's 2025 signings were said to have had an average age of about 21, but newer arrivals such as Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konaté have lifted that figure to around 29.
Fernández is Mourinho's top midfield target, though Chelsea are understood to want about €138m for the Argentina international. Real would prefer to pay less than €100m plus bonuses, and Matheus Fernandes of West Ham has been mentioned as a fallback.
Dias is also high on the list, with Antonio Rüdiger getting older and Éder Militão dealing with injury problems. Alessandro Bastoni and Nico Schlotterbeck are also on Real's shortlist.