Real promise marquee signings

Madrid – Real Madrid President Florentino Perez has vowed his club will make a splash in this summer’s transfer market.

The European champions have had a tempestuous summer with Zinedine Zidane quitting as coach in May days after his team won the Champions League for the third year in a row.

Real’s record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus and the club have only recruited youngsters Alvaro Odriozola (22), Vinicius Junior (18) and Andriy Lunin (19) who all arrived to little fanfare.

Traditional big-hitters when it comes to making signings, especially in World Cup years, Real have been heavily linked in British and Spanish newspapers with Chelsea’s Belgian internationals Eden Hazard (right) and Thibaut Courtois.

“We need to strengthen our present and our future. This is a great squad that will be strengthened by some brilliant players,” Perez told a news conference in midweek.

“We’re in one of the richest periods of our history. We’ve won unique titles. We’re sound institutionally, have strong financial power and have the support of millions of fans.

“We’re going to look to carry on winning and nobody should be in doubt about that. Many thought it was impossible to win three Champions Leagues in a row. We are Madrid and we always want more.” –