Arsenal serves up Xabi Alonso's most desired signing for 2026

Real Madrid has several transfer suggestions from Xabi Alonso. Upon his arrival at the home bench of Santiago Bernabéu, after a thorough analysis of the first team, the Tolosa coach left several proposals that the club's executives are still discussing.

Not all of those interventions in the transfer market are scheduled or will be carried out. Especially when footballers whose positions match the requests left at the Valdebebas offices have already been signed. One of the most notable examples of this trend is Dean Huijsen.

The signing of the former AFC Bournemouth player took place shortly before Xabi Alonso himself joined the club's sporting discipline. The club's leadership was aware of the shortage of players in the center of defense, a problem that caused many headaches for Carlo Ancelotti during the previous soccer season.

Therefore, the inclusion of the young Spanish center-back in the first team is no coincidence. While it is true that Xabi Alonso has turned the '24' into one of the key players in his tactical plans, the Basque strategist understands that another signing is needed. This time, the name that has gained considerable momentum in recent times is a center-back currently in LaLiga: Cristhian Mosquera.

Candidate to consider

The renowned Valencia defender, one of the stars of the Spanish under-21 national team, continues to make a good impression with his performance both at Mestalla and with "La Rojita". In this context, Real Madrid is not the only elite European team that would be considering signing Mosquera to expand the pool of selectable players in the defensive line.

Mikel Arteta understands that he can only trust three center-backs right now: William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, and Ben White. The latter performs better on the right flank, playing as a full-back, so the top-tier options for assembling a first-choice starting eleven are considerably reduced. That is where the interest in Cristhian Mosquera would come in.

The delicate institutional and financial situation at Valencia, however, appears to be the main obstacle to this highly desired signing by the Gunners coach. From the upper echelons of Mestalla, they are requesting a transfer fee between €20 and €25 million, an amount that represents a clear statement of intent for its offers.

Real Madrid could take advantage of Arsenal's reluctance to pay a transfer fee within the range set by Valencia. The Valdebebas offices do consider that price range acceptable for a player who is already a leader in the squad coached by Carlos Corberán, being an international of prestige. They could even attempt to sign him as a free agent in 2026, when his contract with Valencia expires.