After two seasons without a major trophy, Real Madrid got down to business during the summer transfer window, splashing cash to improve José Mourinho’s squad ahead of the 2026–27 season.
Much like last summer, Los Blancos prioritized signing defensive reinforcements, bringing in World Cup winning left back Marc Cucurella, right back Denzel Dumfries and center back Ibrahima Konaté. They also welcomed former Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva on a free transfer.
It wasn’t until after the World Cup that Real Madrid turned their attention to their attack. The club made a surprise push for 21-year-old striker Carlos Espí before completing the record-breaking signing of 19-year-old winger Yan Diomande.
The six new faces bring some much-needed upgrades to certain positions and depth to others. But not all of the moves so far are rated highly for the 15-time European champions.
6. Carlos Espí
Espí’s transfer quite literally came out of nowhere. One moment the player was planning a move to the Premier League and the next he had signed with Real Madrid for €25 million ($27 million).
The 21-year-old gives Mourinho a natural No. 9 following the departure of Gonzalo García. Espí had a breakout season at Levante in 2025–26, scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances. His towering stature makes him a perfect target for set pieces, and he’s already shown his finishing ability in preseason.
Compared to the team’s other signings, Espí is just a tad underwhelming, especially since Los Blancos already have Kylian Mbappé and Endrick in their ranks. The Spaniard has little hope of breaking into the team’s XI, but that doesn’t mean he cannot be an exceptional role player for the Spanish giants.
Joselu gave him the perfect blueprint.
5. Ibrahima Konaté
Had Real Madrid signed Konaté last summer, he probably would’ve been at the top of this list. But the Frenchman remained at Liverpool for the final season of his contract and put together a rather diabolical campaign.
Former manager Arne Slot even called out Konaté for being “at the crime scene” far too often in 2025–26, but Los Blancos still signed the player on a free transfer. The center back’s stock only got worse this summer, when he played just 14 minutes in France’s run to the semifinals at the 2026 World Cup, overlooked even when William Saliba was sidelined due to injury.
Didier Deschamps finally gave Konaté the nod in Les Bleus’ third place match against England and he was hooked at halftime after a dreadful 45 minutes in which the Three Lions scored four goals.
The pathway to redemption is there for the defender should he impress in his debut season at Real Madrid. Konaté could easily earn a starting job considering Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio are Mourinho’s only healthy center backs to start 2026–27.
4. Denzel Dumfries
Real Madrid triggered the £17 million ($22.7 million) release clause in Dumfries’s Inter contract to bring the experienced fullback to the Spanish capital. He joined the club following the departure of Dani Carvajal this summer.
Right back has been a constant issue for Los Blancos over the last few years. Injuries plagued Carvajal and then Alexander-Arnold, forcing Lucas Vázquez or Federico Valverde to assume the position more often than not. Opponents knew all they had to do was attack the right flank to find success against the 15-time European champions.
To make sure they are not left with another right back crisis, Real Madrid brought in Dumfries, a player without an overly concerning injury history who made 207 appearances in five seasons with Inter. The 30-year-old is solid defensively and offers a completely different skill set to the forward-minded Alexander-Arnold.
Although Dumfries is not expected to start over the England international, he offers some much-needed depth at the position and would be a worthy member of Mourinho’s XI should Alexander-Arnold once again miss extended time due to injury.
3. Bernardo Silva
Before the summer transfer window opened, signing a deep-lying playmaker was a major priority for Real Madrid. The club circled around Rodri and Enzo Fernández to potentially replace the hole Toni Kroos left in midfield, but it so far has failed to bring in an elite No. 6.
Instead, Los Blancos snatched up Bernardo Silva after his contract with City expired at the end of last season. The Portugal international is not the midfield signing fans were hoping for, nor is he the solution to the team’s struggles in the middle of the park.
But Silva brings versatility, experience and clinical passing to an engine room largely lacking all three. The 32-year-old won just about everything there was to win at the Etihad Stadium and now can bring his winning mentality to the Bernabéu, where his voice and leadership can help smooth the deep fissures between Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Silva also brings some much-needed intelligence to a midfield group that loves passing the ball sideways and struggles to make quick decisions under pressure.
2. Yan Diomande
There are few players in the world who could fetch a transfer worth up to €140 million ($161.6 million). In fact, no player in Real Madrid history had commanded such a fee before Diomande.
The Côte d’Ivoire international chose the Bernabéu as his new home for the next seven years, snubbing Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool in the process. Diomande arrived as a much-needed reinforcement on the right wing, pushing Franco Mastantuono out on loan to Fiorentina.
The teenager’s blistering pace and fancy footwork are exactly what the team needs to finally have some width pushing forward after two seasons of heavily favoring the left side of the pitch. Now, it will be Diomande and Alexander-Arnold down the right flank, a connection that could bring success back to the Spanish capital.
Of course Diomande has to prove himself worthy of such a high price tag, but he no doubt is the most exciting transfer of the summer, absolutely brimming with potential.
1. Marc Cucurella
Any time you can poach a recently crowned world champion is a massive achievement, especially when that world champion is an automatic upgrade to a problem position. Enter Cucurella.
The fullback, who spent the last four seasons at Stamford Bridge, bid farewell to Chelsea to join Real Madrid for a reported $69.4 million (€60 million). Cucurella then went on to help Spain win the 2026 World Cup, playing every second of La Roja’s run in North America.
The 28-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best left backs in the world, will slot right into Mourinho’s XI, shoring-up an incredibly inconsisent left flank. Ferland Mendy is hardly ever healthy enough to start, and Álvaro Carreras mightily struggled in his debut campaign.
Now, both will make way for Cucurella. The Spaniard, who is a product of Barcelona’s La Masia, will no doubt be looking forward to the moment he gets to go against his fellow countryman Lamine Yamal in the season’s first Clásico.
