Real Madrid manager José Mourinho admitted “you never know what could happen” in the final week of the summer transfer window, though the Portuguese boss does consider his squad “closed.”
The 15-time European champions had a busy summer, welcoming six new faces to the Bernabéu. Marc Cucurella, Yan Diomande, Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, Bernardo Silva and Carlos Espí all made the move to the Spanish capital, giving Mourinho reinforcements at nearly every position on the pitch.
Despite the influx of players, Real Madrid still needed a 90th-minute winner to get past Espanyol in their La Liga opener. Plenty of lingering issues from last season plagued Mourinho’s men in the desperate win, prompting calls for more new blood before the Sept. 1 deadline.
“For me, [the squad is] closed, but with the market still open, you never know what might happen,” he said in his pregame press conference on Tuesday.
“You don’t know if a player will come to you and say they want to leave because you’ve benched them for two consecutive matches. I see everyone very involved and with a great sense of unity, but it’s something that can always happen. I don’t know if the president or José Ángel might call to say we have an incredible offer for a player.
“In my mind, the squad is closed, and I don’t have any requests. I’m very happy with the players I have. If someone leaves now, I wouldn’t be happy. I’d like to keep this squad for the entire season.”
Mourinho might be fully content with the 25 first-team players in his ranks, but that doesn’t mean Real Madrid will stay silent in the final week of the transfer window, especially in a few key areas.
Sign a No. 6
It’s been obvious for the last two seasons that Real Madrid need a deep-lying playmaker. The club never replaced Toni Kroos or Luka Modrić, and has failed to win a major trophy in back-to-back campaigns as a result.
Rodri was supposed to be the answer, but he chose Barcelona instead, leaving Mourinho with Bernardo Silva as his only midfield reinforcement this summer. The manager appears confident in his options, but Saturday’s last-gasp win still showed the team’s inability to break down low blocks without a true orchestrator pulling the strings.
Arsenal’s Martín Zubimendi has once again been linked with the team after the Gunners signed Bruno Guimarães. The Spain international did not start in the Community Shield or in Arsenal’s 3–0 win over Coventry City to kick off the season.
Signing Zubimendi is considered a long shot; Mikel Arteta seems unwilling to part with the player who made 57 appearances for the north London side en route to the 2025–26 Premier League title. But even if Real Madrid cannot snag the 27-year-old, they still need to consider other options before the window shuts.
Sign an Additional Center Back
Center back remains an area of concern for Real Madrid. Éder Militão is expected to remain out until October, and Raúl Asencio is nursing a muscular problem that could require surgery.
Mourinho then only has Konaté, Dean Huijsen and Antonio Rüdiger to call upon. An injury to any of those three players would leave Los Blancos once again with a defensive injury crisis.
AS report Real Madrid are closing in on 21-year-old center back Oscar Naasei. The Granada man, who can also play at right back, is expected to sign with Castilla as negotiations enter their final stages.
The signing would give Mourino another option to call up should he need extra reinforcements at the back. It’s not a flashy deal by any means, but it could become useful as the season drags on.
Make Any Last-Minute Sales
As of now, it seems like fringe players at the Bernabéu all decided to stick with Real Madrid and fight for minutes. Despite links with the Premier League, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Aurélien Tchouaméni have pledged their loyalty to Real Madrid, as has Asencio.
Yet there’s still time for any of the players in white to change their minds, especially after three La Liga games. It will become quite clear where they stand in Mourinho’s pecking order, and a new destination could be more enticing than sitting on the bench at Real Madrid.
Endrick appeared the most likely to commit a U-turn and leave the Spanish capital after Espí’s rise in his absence, but Mourinho is keen on the striker staying put—a sentiment the Brazilian previously shared.
But should Espí’s stock continue to rise over the next week, Endrick might feel compelled to give into one of the many top clubs in his ear.
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